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THE UNITED STATES, 

FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES. 

I 

WITH A MAP AND ENGRAVINGS. 



BY REV. KOSEA HILDRETH, 

AUTHOR OF BOOKS FOR "NEW-HAMPSHIRE" AND "MASSACHUSETTS" CHILDREN. 



^ 



THIRD EDITION 



BOSTON : 
CARTER AND HENDEE. 



MDCCCXXXII. 






DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, to wit: 

District Clerk's Office.^ 
Be it remembered, That on the thirtieth day of July, A. D. 1830, in 
the fifty-fifth year of the Independence of the United States of Ame- 
rica, Carter fy Hendee, of the said District, have deposited in this office 
the title of a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the 
words following, to wit : 

"A View of the United States, for the use of Schools and Families. 
With Maps and Engravings. By Rev. Hosea Hildreth, Author of Books 
for 'New- Hampshire 7 and ' Massachusetts' Children.' " 

In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, 
" An act for the encouragement of learning by securing the copies of maps, 
charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the 
times therein mentioned j" and also to an act, entitled, " An act supple- 
mentary to an act entitled, an act for the encouragenent of learning, by 
securing the copies of maps, charts, and books to the authors and propri- 
etors of such copies during the times therein mentioned; and extending 
the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching histo- 
rical and other prints." 

Tivn wmvT<? S Clerk °f the District °f 
JlNU. w.l>avi& ; < Massachusetts. 



Carter, Andrews, & Co. Printers, Lancaster. 



INTRODUCTION 



In the education of young persons it is highly 
important to associate their duties as men and 
citizens with the aspect, history, institutions, 
and pursuits of the country to which they be- 
long. For this reason, I propose to give a 
view of the United States, for the entertain- 
ment and instruction of youth. 

In the first place, I shall give a view of the 
country as it appeared before it was settled by 
white men, including some account of the an- 
cient inhabitants. I shall then give a general 
description of the country as it now is ; and 
afterward a particular account of the several 
states in their order, beginning with the oldest. 
In the course of the work I shall endeavour to 
explain the government of the United States ; 
and shall speak of the duties, moral and civil, 
which every good citizen is concerned to know 
and perform. 



iv INTRODUCTION. 

An important object of the work will be to 
impress the minds of the young with the dis- 
tinguishing goodness of Divine Providence in 
giving them birth and dwelling in this country, 
and thus to lead them to consider and adopt a 
course of conduct, most obviously connected 
with their own happiness and with the general 
welfare. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Introduction . . . . .... ... iv 

Boundaries of the United States. — Appearance of the Country be- 
fore its Settlement by White Men 5 

Description of the Ancient Inhabitants ...... 7 

Wild Animals, Birds, and Forest Trees 11 

Settlement of the Country by White People 16 

Extent of the United States — Civil Divisions .... 8 

Surface of the United States 21 

Rivers of the Atlantic States 24 

Rivers of the Missisippi Valley 28 

Lakes 34 

Sea-Coast — Capes, Bays, and Islands 37 

Climate and Productions 40 

Inhabitants — White People 43 

Blacks 46 

Indians 50 

Virginia 55 

Massachusetts 60 

New- Hampshire 64 

Connecticut 68 

Maryland . 71 

Rhode-Island 74 

North-Carolina . 77 

New-York 79 

New-Jersey . . 85 

Pennsylvania » ... 87 

Delaware 91 

South-Carolina 93 

Georgia 95 

Reflections and Remarks 97 

Vermont 100 

Kentucky 103 

Tennessee 105 

Ohio 107 

Louisiana 110 

Indiana ............ 112 



VI CONTENTS. 

Page 

Missisippi 114 

Illinois 115 

Alabama 117 

Maine 118 

Missouri . 121 

The Territories 123 

District of Columbia . . . 126 

Curiosities 129 

Political Organization of the States and of the United States . 137 

Legislature, or Congress . 140 

The President and Vice President. — Heads of Departments . . 143 

Judiciary. — Remarks 147 

Conclusion. — Address to the Youth of the United States . . 152 

Questions on the Map of the United States 158 

Chronological Table 159 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



CHAPTER I. 

BOUNDARIES OF THE UNITED STATES— APPEARANCE OF THE 
COUNTRY BEFORE ITS SETTLEMENT BY WHITE MEN. 

The United States of America are a vast country, 
comprising by far the best part of the American continent. 
They are bounded on the north, by what is called Bri- 
tish America ; on the east, by the Atlantic Ocean ; on 
the south, by the Gulf of Mexico, and a country of the 
same name ; and on the west, by the Pacific Ocean. 

By looking at the map, it will be seen that this exten- 
sive country is divided into two parts by the river Missi- 
sippi, which flows through it from north to south. It is 
in that part of the country which is east of the Missisippi, 
that most of the people of the United States are settled. 
The country west of the Missisippi, except in a few 
places on its banks, and along some of its principal 
branches, is still destitute of white inhabitants. 

It is now a little more than two hundred years since 
white men began to settle in the United States. When 
they first came hither, there were no towns, villages, 
roads, nor cultivated lands, as we have them now. The 
country was one vast wilderness ; it was almost all co- 
vered with woods ; the people were savage, and the ani- 
mals all wild. 



6 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Near the sea, however, and on the borders of creeks 
and rivers running into the sea, there were then, as there 
now are, considerable tracts of land occasionally over- 
flowed by the tide, and destitute of trees.* Far in the 
country toward the Missisippi, there were also meadows 
destitute of trees, and covered wholly with thick, tall 
grass.f There were, moreover, many places where the 
trees had been cleared away by the ancient inhabitants, 
for the purpose of raising their corn and vegetables, as 
well as for placing their houses. But the land not cover- 
ed with woods, made up a very small part of the whole. 
Taken altogether, the country, east of the Missisippi, ap- 
peared like one great extended forest, abundantly sup- 
plied with wild beasts and wild fowls ; but very thinly 
inhabited by various tribes of men, whom the white peo- 
ple called Indians. The ancient inhabitants were called 
Indians, because when America was first discovered by 
white people, it was supposed to be a part of the country 
already known by the name of India. 

In the first and second chapters of the Bible we read, 
you know, of the formation of the first man and of the 
first woman ; and in the New Testament we are told, 
that " God hath made of one blood all the nations to 
dwell on the face of the earth." And all nations of the 
earth have descended from Adam and Eve, as the first 
parents. But how the ancient inhabitants of this country 
came hither, we are unable to tell ; and how long they 
had been here, when the white people came, we are also 



* These tracts are now called salt marshes, and they produce a valuable 
grass, of which salt hay is made. 

f These meadows are now called prairies. Some of them are small, 
and others of very great extent. Prairie is a French word, signifying 
meadow. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 7 

unable to tell. The Indians themselves, being savage 
and ignorant, could give no very probable account of the 
way and manner in which their forefathers came to 
America. Learned men have taken much pains to find 
out how they came, and have mentioned several ways in 
which they possibly might have come ; but this matter 
is still very doubtful. All we know with certainty about 
it is, that the Indians were already here when the white 
people arrived, and appeared to have been here a great 
many ages.* 

How are the United States bounded ? 
How, and by what, is the country divided ? 
In what part are the white people settled ? 
When did they begin to settle in the United States ? 
What was the appearance of the country ? 
Why were the ancient inhabitants called Indians ? 

What is said of the time and manner in which the ancient inhabitants 
came to America 1 



CHAPTER II. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS. 

The Indians who were found in possession of the 
country, when it was discovered by white people, were 
a tall, well-formed race, of a reddish brown, or copper 
complexion. They had black eyes, their hair was black, 
long, and straight, and their teeth very white and beauti- 
ful. They possessed great activity and strength, were 
capable of severe toil, and of going long without food. 
But like all savage nations, they were extremely fond of 
ease ; and, except when compelled to engage in war, or 

* The most probable supposition is, that the Indians came to America 
from the north-east part of Asia, where the shores of Asia and America 
approach near to each other. 



8 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

in hunting and fishing, they passed most of their time in 
idleness. 

The houses of the Indians were small, smoky huts, 
made in a rude manner of young trees and bushes, and 
covered with bark, or with mats. These huts were call- 
ed wigwams ; and commonly had only one room, and 
neither floor nor chimney. The fire was made on the 
ground in the middle of the wigwam, and the smoke 
passed through a hole made for that purpose in the roof 
or top. The Indians sat and slept on mats and skins, 
and in the winter they lay with the feet toward the fire. 
They had neither stools, chairs, nor tables, and their 
utensils for cooking were very rude. Their pots for 
boiling were hollowed out of soft stone, but were not 
strong enough to bear the fire ; water was made to boil 
in these pots, by putting small red-hot stones into it. 
Flesh and fish were broiled on the coals, or roasted by 
being held to the fire on the end of a stick. These 
made up the greater part of their food. They raised, 
however, a few squashes and beans, and a little corn ; 
and gathered berries and wild fruits from the woods. 

The dress of the Indians consisted of skins and furs ; 
but in the summer they went almost naked. They wore 
a sort of shoes called moccasons, which they ornamented 
with great care and art. The men plucked out their 
beards and cut off their hair, except a lock on the top of 
the head. This they twisted with feathers and beads. 
They were in the habit of painting their bodies with dif- 
ferent colours, as black, white, and red, especially on 
going to war. 

The chief employment of the men was hunting and 
fishing. In hunting they made use of the bow and arrow, 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. V 

and could shoot with great skill. Their bows were made 
of ash, walnut, hickory, or other suitable wood, and their 
bow-strings of the sinews of animals. The heads of their 
arrows were made of flint-stone, and fastened on in a 
very curious manner with the sinews of the deer. Ani- 
mals were also caught by the Indians in various snares 
and traps. Fish were taken with hooks made of bone, 
or else in a sort of net made of twigs. The Indians had 
no iron, nor other hard metal. Their axes, hatchets, 
and chisels, were of stone. They made beautiful canoes, 
or boats, by hollowing out the bodies of large trees, or 
by sewing together large pieces of birch bark, and stiffen- 
ing them with strips of wood. 

While the men did the hunting and fishing, the women 
were obliged to bring water and wood, and cultivate the 
ground. They had no better plough than a stick, and 
no better hoe than a clam-shell. The little corn they 
raised was pounded into coarse meal, and made into 
bread, which was baked on a flat stone before the fire. 

In the manufacture of weapons and ornaments, the 
Indians discovered considerable ingenuity and skill ; but 
in general they were extremely ignorant, and destitute of 
all the luxuries, and most of the conveniences of life. 
They knew nothing of writing or reading ; and were en- 
tirely ignorant of true religion. They paid a sort of 
worship, however, to two imaginary beings, whom they 
considered as gods, the one good and the other evil. 
But all their ideas of the world to come were very erro- 
neous. 

The Indians were grave, dignified in look and gesture, 
reserved, and silent. They were very revengeful, and 
never forgave an injury ; they were very grateful, and 
b2 



10 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

seldom forgot a benefit. They were artful, crafty, fierce, 
and easily offended ; but they were kind and hospitable 
to strangers. Their principal amusement was dancing. 
This exercise was accompanied with songs and a rude 
kind of music. They had many kinds of dances ; but 
the most famous was the war dance, in which they were 
armed and painted, and went through with the represen- 
tation of a battle, or of a number of battles. 

From shells of different colours, found upon the sea 
shore and elsewhere, the Indians manufactured beads, 
which, when strung together, were called wampum. By 
uniting several strings of these beads, they made belts, 
which they often wrought with much labour and art, and 
considered of great value. Wampum was used as money, 
and for other important purposes. Whenever peace was 
made between tribes at war with each other, belts of 
wampum were exchanged between the warriors. 

The Indians were extremely fond of smoking tobacco. 
The bowls of their pipes were of stone, and often ingeni- 
ously wrought ; the stems were of wood, and highly or- 
namented. When peace was concluded between two 
hostile tribes, or other friendly business transacted, the 
calumet, or pipe of peace, was smoked with much cere- 
mony. They were divided into a great number of 
tribes, some pretty large, and many very small. Their 
little towns or villages, built without order, were com- 
monly placed near the sea, a lake, or the falls of a river, 
for the convenience of fishing. Those who excelled 
most in hunting and war, became sachems or chiefs, 
and governed the tribes. The Indians were much 
addicted to war, which they always carried on with the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



11 



greatest hatred, rage, and cruelty. In these respects, 
however, they resembled all savage nations. 

What is said of the form and complexion of the Indians ? Of the manner 
of passing their time 1 Of their dwellings, cooking utensils, and food 1 
Of their dress and personal appearance ? Of their manner of taking 
animals and fish 1 

By whom was the ground cultivated, and what was raised upon it ? 

What is said of their education and religion ? Of their manners and dispo- 
sition 1 Of their money 1 Of their ceremonies when they make peace ? 

How were they formed into societies 7 and by whom were they governed, 



CHAPTER 111. 

WILD ANIMALS, BIRDS, AND FOREST TREES. 

Of the wild animals formerly found in the United 
States, and most of which are still numerous in the un- 
settled parts of the country, the most remarkable are the 
buffalo, deer, wolf, bear, catamount, panther, and beaver. 




BUFFALO. 



The buffalo in size is equal to an ox. Its colour is a 
brownish gray, and much of its hair is fine, like wool. 



12 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The head of the buffalo is covered with long, shaggy, and 
coarse hair, the horns are small and short, the eyes little 
and fierce, and the animal altogether has a very wild and 
savage appearance. The flesh of the buffalo is excellent 
for food ; and the skins, commonly called buffalo robes, 
are very valuable. Buffaloes feed and move together in 
vast herds ; they were formerly found in almost every 
part of the United States, except New-England 5* but 
they are now rarely seen east of the river Missisippi. 

Of the deer there are various kinds, namely, the red 
deer, moose, or elk, and some others. These animals 
live together in herds, and feed upon grass and herbs in 
the summer, and in the winter upon the bark and buds 
of trees. The male of these animals has branching horns, 
which fall off every year. The female is without horns ; 
and the flesh of both is very valuable for food. The 
males of the moose, or elk, are frequently taller than a 
horse, with straight and s)ender legs, and hoofs like a 
sheep. Animals of the deer kind leap or run with great 
speed. 

The bears are of two kinds, the black bear and the 
brown bear. Both kinds are nearly of the same size ; 
and in shape, as well as in size, somewhat resemble a 
hog. The black bear has short legs, and is commonly 
very fat. He feeds upon roots and plants, upon corn, 
berries, and grapes. The body of the brown bear is 
leaner, and his legs longer. He feeds upon the flesh of 
the deer and other animals. 

Wolves were formerly very common, and in the un- 
settled parts of the country are so still. In shape and 
size they resemble large dogs. Their colour is gray. 

* Kew-England is a name given to the six north-eastern states. 



VJEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 13 

They feed principally upon the deer ; but in newly set- 
tled countries they are often very destructive to flocks of 
sheep. 




WOLF. 

The catamount and panther are both fierce animals of 
the cat kind 5 and in many respects much alike. The 
catamount was found principally in the north-eastern part 
of the United States, and the panther in the south and 
west. Their shape is very much like that of the com- 
mon cat ; but their size is much greater. Their legs are 
short ; and their paws large, and armed with stout long 
claws. They conceal themselves among the branches 
of trees, and leap out with amazing swiftness upon their 
prey. The catamount is now rarely seen ; but the pan- 
ther is common in the western forests. These are the 
most terrific of our animals. 

One of the most singular and interesting animals of 
this country is the beaver, celebrated for its fine and 
beautiful fur. Beavers build their winter dwellings near 
the edge of a pond, which they form by damming up a 
small stream. Their houses are constructed of sticks 



14 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, 



and mud, have regular arched roofs, and are sometimes 
of two or three stories. The lower story is under water, 
and is filled with a supply of food for the winter, consist- 
ing of bark, young willow twigs, and of other soft wood. 
The beaver is now very rarely found in those parts of 
the country which have been settled by white people. 
In the older settlements it is never seen. 

Beside the animals already mentioned, there are seve- 
ral kinds of foxes and squirrels ; there are also the mar- 
tin, otter, mink, and musk rat ; the rabbit, skunk, and 
raccoon 5 the wild cat, lynx, and many others. 




H 

WILD CAT. 

The birds of this country are very numerous, and some 
of them remarkably large and beautiful. There are seve- 
ral kinds of hawks, eagles, and owls, wkich are all birds 
of prey, and live by catching other birds and small ani- 
mals. There is, also, a great variety of water-fowl : the 
swan, a stately bird of a brilliant white ; the crane, a fine 
tall bird, with smooth oily feathers of a grayish white ; the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



15 



wild goose, many kinds of ducks, and the pelican. The 
pelican has a white bill, very white plumage, and is equal 
in size to a goose. Below the bill it has a pouch, or bag, 
large enough to contain two quarts. Pelicans, and many 
other kinds of water-fowl, are found in immense flocks 
on the Missisippi and its branches. 




PELICAN AND CRANE. 



Of the birds, not birds of prey, inhabiting the woods, 
the principal are the wild turkey, a noble bird of a shin- 
ing black plumage, and much larger than the domestic 
turkey ; the partridge, the quail, and immense flocks of 
pigeons. 

The forests of this country produce a great variety of 
trees, most of which make excellent timber. There are 
more than forty kinds of oaks, and several kinds of pine, 
walnut, hickory, and maple. Besides these, there are 
the hemlock, spruce, cedar, birch, elm, ash, locust, tulip- 
tree, sycamore or button-wood ; and in the more south- 
ern parts, several kinds of magnolia, the cotton-wood, 
cypress, live-oak, and the catalpa. 



16 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

From the imperfect view taken in this chapter, we 
have evidence of the great bounty of the Creator to our 
country, in point of animal and vegetable productions. In 
its most uncultivated state it afforded abundantproof of be- 
ing fitted to become the happy residence of civilized men. 

What are the principal wild animals of the United States ? What is said 
of the buffalo ? The deer ? The bear ? The wolf? The catamount ? 
The panther ? The beaver ? What other animals ? What is said of 
the birds 1 Of forest trees 1 



CHAPTER IV. 

SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTRY BY WHITE PEOPLE. 

The settlement of this country by white men has made 
a great change in its appearance. The woods have been 
cleared away, roads opened, towns built, and the lands 
cultivated. The Indians and the wild animals have gra- 
dually disappeared, as the white men have extended their 
settlements ; and the settlements of the white men, though 
already covering a vast extent of country, are still rapidly 
advancing. Where, only a few years ago, there was 
nothing but one continued wilderness, there now are large 
and populous states ; and the comforts and privileges of 
civilized life are possessed by hundreds of thousands, in 
places but lately the abodes of savage beasts and of 
savage men. 

The first settlements in this country were made by 
people from England, and from other countries of Eu- 
rope. Europe is on the eastern side of the Atlantic 
Ocean, about three thousand miles from the United 
States. These settlements were called colonies. For 
a long time their growth was much hindered by wars 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 17 

with the Indians, and by other difficulties necessarily at- 
tending the settlement of a new country. In the course 
of one hundred and fifty years, however, the white inha- 
bitants had spread over a very considerable extent of 
country along the shores of the Atlantic. Their number 
had increased to about three millions. Till this time the 
several colonies had lived under governments of their own, 
in some degree resembling the governments of the seve- 
ral states now ; the colonial governments, however, were 
all under the government of Great Britain, and Great 
Britain was called the mother country. But laws having 
been passed by the British government for the purpose 
of taxing the colonies without their own consent, they 
united together to resist these laws ; and on the fourth of 
July, 1776, th^ir representatives in Congress declared 
the colonies to be free and independent states. At this 
time they took the name or title of the United States 
of America. The government of Great Britain had 
begun a war with the colonies the year before. This 
war, commonly called the revolutionary war, lasted eight 
years. The excellent Washington commanded our ar- 
mies, and the people were supported by a kind Provi- 
dence through a long course of trials and sufferings. At 
length, Great Britain was compelled to acknowledge the 
independence of the United States, and to leave them at 
liberty to form and enjoy a government of their own. 
The government of the United States was at first very 
imperfect: but in the year 1789, rather more than forty 
years ago, the excellent system of government we now 
enjoy was adopted, and George Washington was chosen 
first President of the United States. 

Since the adoption of the present form of government, 
c 



18 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

which will be explained in another place, the country has 
rapidly increased in population and wealth, and the settle- 
ments have been very greatly extended. At first there 
were only thirteen states : there are now twenty-four. 
At the close of the revolutionary war, the number of inha- 
bitants did not much exceed three millions : the United 
States now contain thirteen millions of people. The ter- 
ritory of the United States was at first bounded, on the 
west by the Missisippi, and on the south by the territory 
of Florida; but in the year 1803, the country west of 
the Missisippi was purchased of the French government; 
and FJorida was obtained of the Spanish government in 
the year 1821. The wealth and importance of the 
United States have increased with the number of people; 
and although great improvements in arts and in the means 
of education, intellectual and moral, have been already 
made, yet in each of these respects the nation is still 
making rapid progress. 

By whom were the first settlements of white people made in this country ? 

In how long a time did the number of people increase to three millions ? 

How were the colonies governed 1 

What caused them to resist the government of Great Britain ? 

When were the colonies declared to be free and independent ? 

What name or title did they take 1 

When did the revolutionary war begin ? 

How long did it last 1 

Who commanded our armies ? 

When was the present government of the United States adopted ? 

Who was the first President ? 

What is said of the progress of the country? 

How many states were there at first 1 

How many are there now ? 

What is the present number of people ? 

How were the United States at first bounded ? 

When and of whom were the additional territories purchased ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 19 

CHAPTER V. 

EXTENT OF THE UNITED STATES— CIVIL DIVISIONS. 

It lias already been said that the extent of the United 
States is very great. This vast country stretches four 
thousand miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. 
Its eastern coast along the Atlantic is eighteen hundred 
miles in extent, and its western coast extends six hundred 
miles along the shores of the Pacific. The whole area 
or surface of the United States, contains more than two 
millions of square miles.* Only a small part of the coun- 
try is yet settled by white men, the settled part being lit- 
tle more than a quarter of the whole. 

Beside the district of Columbia, the country is divided 
into twenty-four states, four organized territories, and the 
territories of Missouri and Oregon. An organized terri- 
tory is a territory having white inhabitants and a regular 
government, under the government of the United States. 
The territories of Missouri and Oregon are of greater ex- 
tent than all the rest of the country ; but they remain, as 
yet, a wilderness, inhabited only by wild animals and a 
few wandering tribes of Indian. . 

The situation of each state and territory will be best 
learned by studying the map. A knowledge of the situ- 
ation of each is necessary for well understanding this 
chapter, and most of those which follow it. Before pro- 
ceeding further, therefore, the pupil will do well to learn 
the boundaries and situation of each state and territory, 
and which way it is from each of the others. To assist 

* A square mile is a mile long and a mile wide ; containing six hundred 
and forty acres. 



20 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

him in this, a list of questions on the map of the United 
States is given at the end of the book. 

The thirteen original states, that is, the states settled 
before the revolutionary war, and then called colonies, 
are New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode- 
Island, New- York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and 
Georgia. The states since added, and often called the 
new states, are Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio? 
Louisiana, Indiana, Missisippi, Illinois,* Alabama, Maine, 
and Missouri. The four organized territories are Flori- 
da, Arkansas,! Michigan, and Huron. The district of 
Columbia, in which is the city of Washington, the capital 
of the United States, is only ten miles square, and is si- 
tuated between Maryland and Virginia. 

By looking at the map, it will be seen that the states 
are of very different sizes. Some of the old states are 
very small : the new states, except Vermont, are all large. 
The importance of a state, however, does not always de- 
pend upon its size. Massachusetts, for example, has 
more inhabitants and wealth, and is at present far more 
important, than Missouri, although Missouri is eight times 
larger. 

All the states, except Louisiana, are divided into coun- 
ties. Part of Louisiana, instead of counties, is divided 
into parishes* In the New-England states the counties 
are subdivided into towns, and in some of the other states 
into townships. J South of Pennsylvania, though villages 
and towns have names of their own, yet the only division 
for purposes of government is into counties. 

* Il-li-noi. t Ar-kan-saw. 

% The towns in the New-ftngland states are smaller in extent than what 
are called townships in other states. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



21 



What is the extent of the United States from east to west? 

How long the eastern coast 1 How long the western ? 

How many square miles in the United States 1 

What part of the whole country is settled ? 

Into how many states and territories are the United States divided ? 

What is an organized territory ? 

Give the names of the thirteen original states. 

Give the names of those added since. 

What is said of the territories of Missouri and Oregon ? 

How large is the district of Colombia? Where is it situated, and what 

city does it contain ? 
What is said of the relative sizes of the states 1 
How are states divided for purposes of government ? 



CHAPTER IV. 

SURFACE OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The north-eastern part of the United States, including 
New-England and New- York, is generally hilly, and in 
many places mountainous. The White Mountains of 




Comparative height of Mountains. 

New-Hampshire (5) are the highest land east of the 
Missisippi. Some of them are more than a mile high, 
The Green Mountains of Vermont (6, 7, 8,) and the 

CA 



22 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Catskill Mountains of New- York, are of considerable 
extent, and have a number of lofty summits. Farther 
south begins a very long chain of mountains, called the 
Allegany Mountains (11). By looking at the map it will 
be seen that this chain extends to the south-west as far as 
Alabama ; and that it passes through several of the states. 
Its general direction is the same as that of the sea-shore ; 
but toward the south its distance from the shore gradu- 
ally increases. The Allegany Mountains consists cf a 
number of ridges, from six to twelve, running generally 
the same way, with narrow valleys between them. Se- 
veral of these ridges have names of their own ; as the 
Laurel Mountains and Blue Ridge (12) in Virginia, and 
the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee. The Alle- 
gany Mountains have no very high summits. The peaks 
of Otter (9) in Virginia, which are among the highest, 
are a little more than half a mile high. 

Most of our rivers which fall into the Atlantic, begin 
in the valleys among the Allegany Mountains. The chan- 
nels in which they pass through the mountains, are often 
several hundred feet deep, and through solid rock. The 
passage of a river through one of these rocky channels 
makes a grand appearance. The country lying between 
the Allegany Mountains and the sea consists of two parts y 
the one hilly and the other plain. The hilly country, 
which lies along the foot of the mountains, is very fertile 
and beautiful. The plain country, which extends from 
the hilly country to the sea, and includes a wide belt, 
beginning with the southern half of New-Jersey, and 
ending with the peninsula of Florida, is very low and leveL 
It is generally sandy, and not fertile except on the banks 
of rivers, where is found some very rich soil. In many 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 23 

places are very extensive swamps and marshes, produced 
by the overflowing of the rivers. The country thus far 
described is called the Atlantic part of the United States, 
and most of the rivers by which it is watered fall into 
the Atlantic Ocean. Compared with the whole surface 
of the United States, its extent is very smell, as may be 
seen by looking at the map ; but it is much more thickly 
inhabited, and has a much greater number of people, 
than the territory west of it. 

West of the Allegany Mountains, the surface of the 
country is generally level. There are some hills, but 
they are mostly round and swelling, and neither high nor 
steep. This level country extends west of the Missisippi 
as far as the Rocky Mountains. It is principally watered 
by the Missisippi and its branches, and on this account is 
called the Missisippi Valley. It is a very extensive, as 
well as a very interesting part, of the United States. 

That part of the Missisippi Valley which has been 
divided into states, is, in general, a very fertile and 
delightful country. It has no rocky hills nor sandy 
plains. The land is easily cultivated, and produces very 
abundant crops. In this valley are those extensive 
prairies, which were mentioned in the first chapter. 
Prairies are found in Ohio ; but in this state, they are 
few and comparatively small. In Indiana and Illinois 
they become much larger and more numerous ; and at 
some distance west of the Missisippi, they spread out to 
a very great extent, so that scarcely a tree is to be seen, 
except a few near the streams. 

The prairies, in general, are nearly level ; they are 
destitute of trees, and covered witn tall coarse grass, and 
a great variety of flowering plants. During summer, no 



24 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

flower garden equals the prairies in variety and splendour 
of blossoms. Most of the prairie flowers have tall, 
slender sterns ; they are bright and gaudy, but not very 
fragrant nor delicate. In spring, the flowers are of a 
bluish purple ; those which appear in midsummer, are 
generally red ; and late in autumn, the prairies are 
covered with large flowers of a bright yellow. 

The soil of the prairies is commonly very fertile ; but 
west of the Missisippi, towards the Rocky Mountains, 
they gradually become drier, and the grass which grows 
upon them becomes shorter and thinner. At length 
they become barren, and in many places bare, producing 
only a few coarse and prickly shrubs. The streams here 
are small, few, and shallow ; they run in deep gullies, 
and in summer their channels are nearly dry. This 
barren country is quite extensive, reaching several hun- 
dred miles to the foot of the Rocky Mountains. 

The Rocky Mountains (1, 2, 3, 4), lie nearly north- 
west and south-east. They have seldom been visited by 
white men, and are very little known. Some of them 
are supposed to be more than two miles high. West of 
these mountains is the territory of Oregon, which extends 
to the Pacific Ocean. 

What is said of the surface of the north-eastern part of the United States ? 

Of the mountains in New-Hampshire ? In Vermont and New- York t 
In what direction do the Allegany Mountains lie ? 
How far south do they extend ? 
At which end do they approach nearest the sea ? 
Of how many ridges do they consist ? 
How high are the highest summits ? 

Where do most of our rivers failing into the Atlantic Ocean begin ? 
What is said of the surface and soil of the country between the Allegany 

Mountains and the sea ? 
Why is this country called the Atlantic part of the United States ? 
What is said of the country between the Allegany and Rocky Mountains 1 
By what is it called ? 

What is said of that part of it which is divided into states ? 
Give an account of the Prairies. 

How do the Rocky Mountains lie, and what is said of their height! 
What territory lies west of them ! 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 25 

CHAPTER VII. 

RIVERS OF THE ATLANTIC STATES. 

Beginning at the north-east, the principal rivers of 
New-England are the Penobscot, Kennebeck, Andros- 
coggin, Saco, Piscataqua, Merrimack, and Connecticut. 
All these are important streams. The Penobscot, which is 
the largest river in Maine, varies in its course from south- 
east to south-west, and falls into a fine bay. It is naviga- 
ble for large vessels for fifty-two miles. The Kennebeck 
and Androscoggin unite about eighteen miles from the 
sea. The general course of the Androscoggin is south- 
east, that of the Kennebeck, which is the main branch, 
is south. The Kennebeck is navigable for large vessels 
twelve or fifteen miles, and for smaller vessels forty miles. 
The Saco is a very rapid stream ; the tide is stopped by 
falls four miles from its mouth. The Piscataqua is a 
very short river, formed by the. union of five or six small- 
er rivers, a few miles from the sea. Its mouth forms one 
of the finest harbours in the United States. The mouth 
of the Merrimack is obstructed by a sand bar, but ves- 
sels of considerable size ascend the river about eighteen 
miles. The Connecticut runs nearly south. The tide 
flows up about fifty miles, to which distance the river is 
navigable for small vessels. It is navigable for long flat- 
bottomed boats nearly three hundred miles farther, the 
falls being passed by means of canals and locks. The 
whole length of the river is about four hundred miles. 
Few parts of the United States are more fertile, better 
cultivated, or more thickly inhabited, than the valley 
through which the Connecticut passes. 



26 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The principal river of New- York is the Hudson. It 
runs in the same direction with the Connecticut about 
sixty miles from it. The tide flows up this beautiful ri- 
ver nearly two hundred miles, and vessels ascend to the 
same distance. None of our rivers are more favourable to 
navigation than the Hudson. A passage up the Hudson 
fioiii the city of New- York to Albany, one hundred and 
fifty miles, is very delightful, on account of the grand and 
rich scenery it presents. On the banks of this river are 
a number of handsome and flourishing towns. 

The principal rivers of Pennsylvania, are the Delaware, 
which separates Pennsylvania from New-Jersey, and the 
Susquehanna, which has its sources in New- York, and 
its mouth in Maryland. Both these rivers flow south, and 
both terminate in broad bays. The Delaware is naviga- 
ble for the largest ships to Philadelphia, about fifty miles, 
and for small vessels ninety miles, and for river boats a 
hundred miles farther. The Susquehanna is larger than 
the Delaware ; but it is a rapid stream, and its navigation 
is obstructed. It is more than a mile wide at its mouth, 
but is navigable only five miles for vessels. Boats, how- 
ever, pass up and down the greater part of its length. 

The chief rivers of Virginia, are the Potomack, along 
its northern boundary, the Rappahannock, and the James. 
The general direction of these rivers is south-east, inclin- 
ing to the south. These are fine streams, with broad and 
deep channels. They admit large ships to pass up to a 
great distance. Ships of war ascend the Potomac as 
far as Washington, situated more than a hundred and 
fifty miles from its mouth. Above Washington the Po- 
tomack is navigable for boats. The Rappahannock is 
navigable more than a hundred miles for vessels of con^ 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 21 

siderable size. Vessels of the same size ascend the 
James River a hundred and fifty miles to the port of 
Richmond. This river is navigated with boats two hund- 
red miles farther. These three rivers fall into the 
Chesapeake Bay. 

The principal rivers of the two Carolinas, are the Chow- 
an, Roanoake, Neuse, and Cape Fear in North Carolina, 
and in South Carolina, the Pedee, Santee, and Edisto. 
These rivers run south-east across that broad sandy plain, 
which was mentioned in the last chapter as extending along 
the more southern part of our Atlantic coast. In many 
places they are shallow, and the navigation is obstructed 
by sand bars. They pass through extensive marshes, 
the mouths of all of them are barred with sand. They 
admit only vessels of the smaller kinds, but are exten- 
sively navigated with boats. 

The rivers of Georgia and Florida, which flow into the 
Atlantic, are the Savannah, separating Georgia from 
South Carolina, the Alatamaha,* St. Mary's, and St. 
John's. The general course of the two first is south- 
east ; that of the St. John's is north-east : the St. Mary's 
is a small and very crooked stream, but is remarkable for 
having deeper water at its mouth than any other river of 
the United States south of the Chesapeake. These ri- 
vers very much resemble the rivers of the Carolinas. 
Ttie Savannah, however, is navigable for large vessels 
seventeen miles to Savannah ; and for large boats to 
Augusta, a hundred and twenty miles farther. The Ala- 
tamaha is navigable a short distance for vessels, and for 
boats nearly three hundred miles. 

*Al-ta-ma-haw. 



28 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The several rivers mentioned in this chapter, as well 
as the other rivers of the United States falling into the 
Atlantic, are more or less plentifully supplied with valua- 
ble fish. Nearly all of them have shad and bass, be- 
sides other fish of a smaller size, but of excellent flavour. 
The salmon, formerly abundant in the north-eastern ri- 
vers, is becoming very scarce. 

The rivers thus far noticed, except the Piscataqua, 
which is very short, vary in length from one hundred 
and fifty to five hundred miles. 

Which are the principal rivers of New-England, and what is said of each ? 

What is said of the Hudson ? 

Which are the principal rivers of Pennsylvania? What is said of them ? 

Which are the principal rivers of Virginia ? 

What is said of the Potomac 1 Of the Rappahannock 1 Of the James 

River 1 
Which are the principal rivers of North Carolina ? Of South Carolina ? 
What is said of these rivers 1 
Which are the principal rivers of Georgia and Florida ? What is said of 

each 1 
What is said of the length of the Atlantic rivers ? 



CHAPTER VIII. 

RIVERS OF THE MISSISIPPI VALLEY. 

The rivers of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, which 
flow into the Gulf of Mexico, are the Cha-ta-hoo-chee, 
called in the southern part of its course the Ap-pa-lach-i- 
co-la, and the Alabama and Tombeckbee,* which unite 
before they reach the Gulf, and receive the name of 
Mobile river. These rivers run in a direction generally 
south, and are each about four hundred miles in length. 
They are navigable, either with vessels or with boats, 

* Or Tombigbee. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 29 

through the greater part of their length ; but their chan- 
nels are much obstructed by shallows ; while bars of 
mud, and logs at their mouths, prevent the entrance of 
large vessels. Much of the land on their banks is low 
and marshy, and subject to be overflowed by the swell- 
ing of the rivers. 

The largest river flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, and 
indeed the largest river of the United States, is the Mis- 
sisippi, already so often mentioned. This river rises in 
a wide marshy plain, not far from the northern boundary 
of the United States. It soon becomes a considerable 
stream, and grows wider and deeper till it reaches the 
falls of St. Anthony. These falls are sixteen feet in 
height. Below them, the Missisippi is a noble stream, 
half a mile wide, with a gentle current, and very clear 
waters. 

On both sides of the river are high steep banks of 
limestone rock, called bluffs. Between the bluffs and 
the river are tracts of low, level, and very fertile land, 
called river bottoms, and similar to the interval on the ri- 
vers of the Atlantic states. These bottoms, however, are 
not commonly found upon both sides of the river at once, 
but first on one side, and then on the other, the bluffs al- 
ternately approaching the river and receding from it. At 
small distances, the river is spotted with beautiful wooded 
islands ; and at the summits of the bluffs, on each side, 
commences a level and fertile country, made up of prai- 
rie and wood land. The river becomes gradually wider 
and deeper, but preserves the same general appearance 
till it meets the Missouri. 

The Missouri is the larger stream, and in reality the 
main branch. After it mingles with the Missisippi, the 

D 



30 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

character of the latter is entirely changed. The wa- 
ters of the river now become white and muddy, and its 
current swift and dangerous. As low down as the mouth 
of the Ohio, the valley between the bluffs on each side, 
including the river, is from six to eight miles wide. Be- 
low this point the bluffs retire to a great distance, and a 
valley spreads between them, in general from thirty to 
fifty miles wide, and much wider as the river approaches 
the Gulf of Mexico. The appearance of this great val- 
ley is extremely desolate. It consists, for the most part, 
of a low swamp of cypress forest, subject to be overflow- 
ed every year by the waters of the river. 

Just below the entrance of the Red River, the Missi- 
sippi gives off a stream from its western bank, called the 
Atchafalaya,* which passes by its own channel into the 
Gulf of Mexico. At a considerable distance farther down 
the river, a stream called the Ibberville is given off from 
the eastern bank. The country between these outlets is 
called the Delta of the Missisippi ; but besides these two, 
there are several other large outlets and many small 
ones. Within the Delta and along the banks of the river, 
there is a strip of very fertile and well cultivated land, 
protected from the floods by an embankment of earth 
called the Levee. Near the Gulf, however, and about 
the four mouths by which the Missisippi discharges its 
waters, the country is all marsh, and covered with a kind 
of coarse reeds. 

Considering its length and the vast quantity of its wa- 
ters, the Missisippi is very narrow. Its average width is 
less than a mile. It receives the Missouri, Ohio, Arkan- 

* Chaf-a-ly-oh. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 31 

sas, and the Red River, without growing wider ; indeed 
it is wider above the Missouri than immediately below it. 
But though not wide, the Missisippi is very deep. Be- 
low the mouth of the Ohio, its average depth is one hund- 
red feet. Its whole length is over three thousand miles. 

The Missouri is the largest river flowing into the Mis- 
sisippi. It commences far to the north-west among the 
Rocky Mountains ; and being enlarged in its progress by 
tributary streams, it rolls its whitish muddy waters with 
a rapid current through the vast prairies of the Missouri 
territory. Like the Missisippi, it has bluffs and river 
bottoms ; but except near its mouth, the bluffs are not so 
high, nor the bottoms so wide, as those on the Missisippi. 
Its principal branches are the Yellowstone, Platte, and 
Kansas* These are large rivers, and very much resem- 
ble the Missouri. The average width of the Missouri 
does not exceed half a mile. Its whole length is over 
three thousand miles. 

The Ohio, though not the largest, is in many respects 
the most beautiful of our rivers. It is formed by the 
union of the Monongahela and Allegany, which flow down 
the west side of the Allegany Mountains. Its length is 
over a thousand miles, and its width, in general, about 
half a mile. Its waters are clear, its current is gentle, 
and it passes through one of the most delightful and fer- 
tile countries in the world. Like the other rivers of the 
Missisippi Valley, the Ohio is skirted on each side with 
bluffs and bottoms, but the bottoms are extremely wide 
and rich, and in their natural state are covered with lofty 
forest trees. Its principal branches are the Cumberland, 
the Tennessee, and the Wabash, all large and important 
streams. 



32 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The Arkansas is over two thousand miles in length. 
The length of Red River is about fifteen hundred miles. 
Both these rivers rise in the Rocky Mountains, and flow 
in a south-easterly course into the Missisippi. The coun- 
try through which they pass, resembles that which is wa- 
tered by the Missouri and its branches. As they approach 
the Missisippi, the ground on their banks becomes low 
and swampy, and the whole country about their mouths 
is liable to be annually overflowed. At the time of the 
flood, the waters of the Arkansas are thick and muddy, 
and of a bright red colour. The waters of the Red 
River are equally muddy, but their colour is of a deeper 
red. 

There are many other rivers which run into the Mis- 
sisippi and its branches 5 and several of them are larger 
than any of the rivers of the Atlantic states ; such are 
the Illinois and White River, the Kaskaskia, Osage, 
Yazoo, and many others. 

The Missisippi and its branches, particularly the Ohio, 
are navigated by an immense number of boats, of all sorts, 
shapes, and sizes. These transport vast quantities of 
produce and merchandise. The greatest part of the 
produce is carried down the rivers in very large flat-bot- 
tomed boats ; but steam-boats are very numerous, and of 
the greatest utility, particularly in ascending the rivers. 
In many places the navigation is much obstructed by 
sand-bars, shoals, rapids, and sunken trees, especially 
when the water is low. When the water is high, the 
furious current of the lower Missisippi is often extremely 
dangerous ; and vessels and boats are very liable to run 
against trees and logs brought down by the floods. 
The Missisippi and its branches abound with fishes 5 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



33 



but except the cat fish, found near the mouth of the 
Missisippi, they are not of great value. Many of them 
are large, but, with few exceptions, they are tough, 
coarse, and unsavoury. As far north as the Arkansas, 
the Missisippi swarms with alligators. The alligator is a 
great, unwieldy lizard, from twelve to sixteen feet in 
length. It has a large mouth, with very large and fright- 
ful ivory teeth. Its skin is so tough as to resist a musket 
ball, and is valuable for tanning. The alligators sleep on 
the sand-bars, or move about in the water, looking very 
much like old logs. They come upon the shore and 
catch calves, pigs, and other small animals that come in 
their way. 



ff£* 




ALLIGATOR. 



All the rivers of the Missisippi valley are subject to an 
annual flood during the spring, when the waters in many- 
places rise to a great height. 



What rivers of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, flow into the Gulf of 
Mexico ? 

What is said of the length and navigation of these rivers ? 

Which is the largest river in the United States 1 Where does it take its 
rise 1 What is its character and appearance before it meets the Mis- 
souri ? What is its character and appearance afterward ? 

Where is the Delta of the Missisippi, and what is said of the land within 
it? 

Mention a number of the principal branches of the Missisippi beside the 
Missouri. 

d2 



34 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

What is the average width, and what the length of the Missisippi 1 
Where does the Missouri commence 1 What is said of the country 

through which this river and its branches flow 1 
Which are the principal branches of the Missouri, and what is said of 

them ? 
What is the average width of the Missouri ? What is its length 1 
Give an account of the Ohio ; of its length, width, and of the country 

through which it flows, and its principal branches. 
Give an account of the Arkansas, and of the Red River. 
What other large rivers in the Missisippi Valley 1 How are these rivers 

navigated 1 



CHAPTER IX. 



By looking at the map, it will be seen that there is a 
number of large lakes along the northern boundary of the ^ 
United States. The most northerly and westerly of these 
lakes, are the Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake, con- 
nected together by Rainy Lake River. Next, towards 
the east, is Lake Superior. This lake is the largest col- 
lection of fresh water in the world. It is three hundred 
and fifty miles long and one hundred miles broad, and is 
equal in extent to the slate of South Carolina. It re- 
ceives upwards of fifty rivers, some of which are of con- 
siderable size. Its shores are bleak, steep, and rocky : in 
some places are long walls of rock rising directly from 
the water's edge. The country around the lake is cold 
and barren. The waters of Superior pass through the 
strait of St. Mary's, a shallow and rapid stream twenty- 
seven miles long, into Lake Huron. 

Huron and Michigan are united by a wide and short 
strait called Michilimackinack.* They both receive 
numerous rivers ; Michigan alone receives forty of con- 

* Or Mackinaw, 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 35 

siderable size. Their shores in many places rise gently 
from the water's edge ; and though sometimes rocky, no 
where present such tremendous precipices as border Lake 
Superior. The three upper Lakes, Superior, Huron, and 
Michigan, are remarkable for their great depth, which 
on an average is more than nine hundred feet. These 
three lakes discharge their water through St. Clair river, 
abroad and rapid stream, into Lake St. Clair. St. Clair 
is a clear and beautiful sheet of water, about thirty miles 
broad ; it communicates with Erie by the strait or river 
of Detroit, twenty-seven miles long. Erie is the most 
southerly of the five great lakes, and has less depth than 
either of the others. On an average it is not more than 
dne hundred feet deep. The waters of Lake Erie de- 
scend by a very deep and swift stream, thirty-six miles 
long, over the famous falls of Niagara river. At the falls, 
the river is nearly a mile wide ; and the whole of its wa- 
ters rush furiously down a steep wall of rock one hundred 
and sixty feet high. It is scarcely possible to conceive a 
grander sight than the falls of Niagara. Ontario is the 
most easterly, and the smallest of the great lakes. It is 
about two hundred miles long and fifty broad, and in ex- 
tent is considerably greater than the state of Connecticut. 
Its average depth is about five hundred feet. Ontario 
communicates with the Atlantic by the river St. Lawrence, 
which, for some distance after it passes from the lake, 
forms the northern boundary of the United States. 

The waters of the five great lakes are remarkably 
clear, cold, and transparent. They abound with the finest 
fish, among which are several kinds of trout, pickerel, 
carp, as well as fish called sturgeon, bass, and herring ; 
but very different from the fishes of the same names found 



36 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

in the sea and rivers running into it. The most 
plentiful, however, and the finest of all the fish found in 
the lakes, is the white fish. The fisher j^upon these lakes 
is quite an extensive and profitable business. When the 
lakes are calm, the fish can be seen sporting at great 
depths. In storms, the water rises in waves rough and 
dangerous as those of the ocean. 

On lakes Erie and Ontario are a considerable number 
of steam-boats and other vessels : but the navigation of 
all the great lakes is rendered dangerous by the want of 
good harbours. Safe anchorage cannot usually be found 
except at the mouths of rivers, and most of the rivers are 
obstructed by sand bars, or are too shallow to admit large 
vessels. There is, however, a considerable number of 
tolerably good harbours on the south shores of Erie and 
Ontario ; and the natural deficiency of harbours is already 
in a considerable degree supplied by artificial havens. 

Lakes, though not common in other parts of the United 
States, are numerous in New-England and New- York, 
and very various in size and shape. In the western part 
of New- York there is a fine cluster, the largest of which 
are Seneca, Cayuga, and Oneida. Between New-York 
and Vermont is Lake Champlain, a beautiful sheet of 
water, one hundred and twenty-eight miles long, and from 
one mile to fifteen miles broad, studded with numerous 
islands, and surrounded with lofty mountains. It receives 
several considerable rivers, and has a number of good 
harbours and some shipping. This lake is famous in the 
history of our country ; several naval battles have been 
fought on its surface. Immediately south of Champlain, 
and connected with it, is Lake George, celebrated for 
its fine scenery, beautiful islands, and clear waters. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 37 

In New-Hampshire and Maine are several beautiful 
lakes, such as Sunapee, Winnipisiogee, and Ossipee, in 
New-Hampshire; Sebago,Umbagog, Moosehead, Schoo- 
dic, and others, in Maine. The small lakes, as well as 
the large ones, abound in delicate fish. 



Which is the most northern and western of the great lakes ? 

What is said of Lake Superior? 

What connects this lake with Huron 1 

What is said of Haron and Michigan 1 

What is the depth of water in Superior, Huron, and Michigan ? 

Where and how do these lakes discharge their waters ? 

What is said of Lake Erie ? 

Between what lakes are the falls of Niagara ? What is said of them ? 

How far from Erie to Ontario 1 

What is said of the navigation of these lakes 1 Of the great lakes gene- 
rally ? 

What other lakes and where found ? 

What other lakes in the state of New- York 1 Between New- York and 
Vermont ? 

In New- Hampshire and Maine 1 

What is said of the fish in the great and small lakes 1 



CHAPTER X. 

SEA COAST— CAPES, BAYS, AND ISLANDS. 

That part of the coast of the United States which is 
washed by the Gulf of Mexico, is about eleven hundred 
miles in extent. For the most part it is low and marshy, 
and but ill supplied with deep harbours. The mouths of 
the rivers are narrow, and obstructed by bars. The 
best harbours are bays into which no great river empties, 
but even these are not deep enough to admit the largest 
vessels. 

From Cape Sable, the southern point of Florida, to 
Cape Hatteras, the coast stretches nearly nine hundred 
miles. This part of our coast, like that just described, is 



38 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

low and often marshy, and the mouths of the rivers are 
obstructed by bars. It is lined with small islands, gene- 
rally long and narrow, and extending in the same direc- 
tion with the main land. Good harbours are extremely 
rare, and there are none capable of admitting the largest 
vessels. Capes Fear, Lookout, and Hatteras, are very 
dangerous to mariners, on account of shoals and tempes- 
tuous weather. 

That part of our coast which extends from Cape 
Hatteras to Cape Malabar, about six hundred miles in 
length, is much indented by bays. The principal of 
these are Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, Chesapeake 
and Delaware Bays, Long-Island Sound, Narraganset 
Bay, and Buzzard's Bay. Pamlico and Albemarle 
Sounds communicate with each other. They are sepa- 
rated from the sea by long, narrow, sandy islands. The 
inlets between these islands are very narrow, and not 
deep enough to admit large vessels. 

As the river Susquehanna approaches the sea, it 
grows wide and spreads out into Chesapeake Bay. This 
is much the largest bay along our whole coast. It is 
nearly two hundred miles in length; its average breadth 
above the mouth of the Potomac is ten miles, and below 
that river, twenty-five miles. It receives several broad, 
deep, and navigable streams, and is well supplied with 
good harbours. It opens to the sea between Capes 
Henry and Charles, which are often called the Capes of 
Virginia. 

Delaware Bay is sixty miles long, and in the widest 
place thirty miles wide. It opens to the sea between 
Capes May and Henlopen ; and is formed by Delaware 
River, which like the Susquehanna, grows wide as it ap- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 39 

proaches the sea. The shores of this bay are without 
harbours, and its navigation is rather difficult ; but it is of 
much importance, since it enables the great state of 
Pennsylvania to communicate with the sea. 

The eastern shores of Maryland and New-Jersey, and 
the southern shore of Long-Island, are without harbours, 
but at the mouth of the Hudson is the noble harbour of 
New-York, and within Long-Island Sound there are se- 
veral very good harbours, along the shores of Connecti- 
cut. Narraganset Bay is a beautiful sheet of water, 
studded with fertile and well cultivated islands, and well 
provided with harbours. South-west of Buzzard's Bay 
are two considerable islands, Nantucket and Martha's 
Vineyard, belonging to Massachusetts. 

That part of our coast, about three hundred miles in 
length, which reaches from Cape Cod to the mouth of 
St. Croix River, at the north-eastern extremity of the 
United States, is, of all the rest, the best furnished with 
harbours, and the most favourable to navigation. It has 
several bays, the principal of which are Massachusetts 
Bay, between Cape Cod and Cape Ann, Casco, Penob- 
scot, and Passarnaquoddy Bays. The coast of Maine, 
in particular, is indented wilh a great number of bays, 
and numberless islands are scattered along, within a 
short distance from the main land. This state abounds 
in excellent harbours, which, though the winters are se- 
vere, are kept clear of ice by the tides, which rise higher 
on this than on other parts of our coast. 

The sea, which washes the eastern coast of the Linked 
States, abounds with a variety of valuable fish. The 
most important are the cod, mackerel, hake, and herring. 



40 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

What part and what length of the coast of the United States is washed by 

the Gulf of Mexico ? 
What is said of the harbours on this part of the coast ? 
Which is the most southern cape of the United States ? 
Which way is Cape Hatteras from Cape Sable ? What length of coast 

between these capes ? 
What is said of the harbours on this part of the coast ? 
What dangerous capes on the coast of North-Carolina 1 
Where is Cape Malabar ? 

What length of coast between Capes Hatteras and Malabar? 
What remarkable bays between these capes ? 
What is said of Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds ? Of Chesapeake Bay ? 

Of its length, width, and harbours '? 
Between what capes does it open to the ocean ? 

What is said of Delaware Bay 1 Of its length, width, harbours, naviga- 
tion, and importance ? 
What is said of the eastern shores of Maryland and New-Jersey, and of 

the southern shore of Long-Island Sound? 
What is said of the coast from Cape Cod to the north-eastern extremity 

of the United States ? Of its length, bays, and harbours ? 
What of the coast of Maine in particular ? 
What is said of the fish which are taken from the sea on our eastern 

coast ? 



CHAPTER XL 

CLIMATE AND PRODUCTIONS. 

The territory of the United States is so extensive, that 
in different parts of it there is a great difference of climate, 
and a great variety of productions. When we speak of 
the climate of a particular country, we refer to the heat, 
cold, and moisture that prevail in it. Countries which 
lie far to the north are cold, while southern countries are 
usually warm. But beside these circumstances, there are 
other causes which produce difference of climate. High 
countries are colder than low ones, and places near the 
sea have a milder climate, than those at a distance from 
it. The wind, also, according to the direction in which 
it blows, has a great influence upon climate. From these 
causes, the low and level lands along the coast of the 
Atlantic, have a climate considerably warmer than the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 41 

country at the foot of the Allegany Mountains ; and the 
mountainous parts of the Carolinas and of Tennessee, 
though these states are so far south, have winters nearly 
as severe as those of New-England. 

The winters on the upper Missisippi, and in the north- 
ern part of the Missouri territory, are extremely severe, 
much more so than in the states equally far north on the 
Atlantic. One reason of this is, the great western plains 
are very high land. 

Throughout North America, the prevailing winds are 
from the north-west. These winds, coming from an ocean 
very far to the north, called the Frozen Ocean, produce 
a great degree of cold, especially in winter, all over the 
United States. In all parts of the country, if we except 
the peninsula of Florida, snow usually falls during win- 
ter. But in the more southern states, except in the 
mountainous parts, it rarely lies on the ground longer 
than a day or two. In these states the summers are very 
long, as well as very hot. In the most northern parts of 
the United States, the winter commonly sets in as early 
as the first of December, and the snow lies on the ground 
more than five months. The summers there are hot, but 
very short. The states, according to their respective si- 
tuations between the northern and southern boundaries 
of the country, have a great variety of climates. 

Sugar cane, the orange, and the lime, are cultivated 
on the Atlantic coast as far north as the southern extre- 
mity of South Carolina, and on the banks of the Missi- 
sippi as far up as the mouth of Red River. Rice and 
the fig flourish considerably farther north. Cotton and 
indigo are not much cultivated north of Tennessee and 
North Carolina. Tobacco is a productive crop as far 

E 



42 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



north as the southern boundary of Pennsylvania. Where 
rice and the fig cease to grow, wheat and other small 
grains, the apple and the pear, begin to be found. These 
all are productive in what are called the middle and nor- 




Tobacco, Orange, Sugar Cane, Fig, and Lime. 

thern states. Maize, or Indian corn, is a very remarkable 
grain. It is adapted to the climate of every state in the 
Union ; but it varies in species or kind, according to the 
climate where it is found. In British America and in the 
most northern states, the stalks of the corn are low, com- 
monly not exceeding four or five feet in height ; but in 
the southern states, they rise to the height of twelve or 
thirteen feet. Peaches do not flourish farther north than 
Massachusetts ; but the common potato succeeds best in 
the most northern parts of the country. In the southern 
states it is poor, but its place is in a measure supplied by 
the sweet potato. The cultivated grasses are most pro- 
ductive in a northern climate ; but garden vegetables suc- 
ceed in all the states. On account of the great extent of 
the United States, and the varieties of climate they afford, 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 43 

we have little reason to fear that a famine will ever take 
place in consequence of a general failure of crops ; for 
if the crops from any cause are cut off in any part of the 
country, a supply may be expected from other parts. 
This circumstance is a just cause of gratitude to the 
bountiful Creator ; and a good reason for cherishing and 
maintaining a happy union of the states. 

What is said of the climate of the United States? 

What countries are warm and what cold ? 

What other causes influence climate ? 

In what parts of the Carolinas and of Tennessee are the winters cold ? 

What winds produce a great degree of cold in the United States ? 

What is the prevailing wind of the country 1 Why is it colder than other 
winds 1 

Where are the summers long and hot 1 

Does snow ever fall in these parts ? 

What is said of the winters and summers on the northern boundary of the 
United States 1 

How far north on the sea coast and on the Missisippi are the sugar cane, 
the orange, and the lime cultivated 1 

What is said of rice and the fig 1 Of cotton and indigo ? 

How far north is tobacco productive 1 

Where do wheat, the apple, and the pear begin to be found ? In what 
states do these flourish ? 

What is said of Indian corn 1 Of peaches and common potato 1 Of cul- 
tivated grasses and garden vegetables ? 



CHAPTER XII. 

INHABITANTS.— WHITE PEOPLE. 

The people inhabiting the United States are of three 
sorts, namely, white people, blacks, and Indians. The 
white people are mostly the descendants of those who 
came to this country from England, and other countries 
of Europe. They are vastly more numerous than both 
the other sorts of people put together; and all the wealth 
of the country, as well as the government of it, is in their 
hands. 



44 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The great body of the white people of the United 
States are employed in cultivating the earth, and are 
called farmers and planters. The planters, who form 
but a small part of the whole, have large estates, and 
their lands are commonly cultivated by slaves, of whom 
I shall speak in the next chapter. They are found only 
in the southern states. The farmers have less land, and 
usually work on it themselves. 

The cultivation of the earth is one of the most hon- 
ourable, and certainly the most useful of all employments; 
for all other employments are supported by it. The ex- 
ports of the United States, that is, the commodities which 
are carried from this country to foreign countries for 
sale, are chiefly the productions of agriculture. 

Manufactures of all kinds, and particularly of cotton, 
wool, and iron, have very much increased in the United 
States within a few years, and the number of persons 
employed in manufactories and the various mechanical 
arts, is very great. The next most numerous class con- 
sists of those who are connected with commerce. The 
merchants of the United States export to foreign countries 
great quantities of cotton, tobacco, flour, fish, oil, beef, 
pork, lumber, and many other commodities; and they 
receive in return, cotton and woollen goods, silks, wines, 
iron, cutlery, sugar, tea, coffee, and many other articles 
of merchandise, not produced nor manufactured in the 
United States. 

This trade affords employment to a great many vessels, 
and to a vast number of seamen. A great many sailors 
and boatmen are also employed in transporting goods and 
produce from one state to another ; and a large number 
of traders in all parts of the United States are employed in 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 45 

selling these goods. The commerce of the United States, 
foreign and domestic, is very extensive. Next to the 
British, we are the most commercial nation in the world. 

In the north-eastern states the cod, mackerel, and 
whale fisheries, employ a great many people. In all pails 
of the country, physicians, lawyers, clergymen, and in- 
structors of youth, are considerably numerous. Almost 
all useful employments known and practised among civi- 
lized nations, are known and practised in the United 
States. Every person of every sort, able and willing to 
be usefully employed, may provide himself, and others 
dependant upon him, with the necessaries, and with many 
of the comforts of life ; and the United States may justly 
be considered as the best poor man's country in the world. 

Much the largest part of the white people of the United 
States are of English descent. There are, however, 
considerable numbers of Scotch, Irish, Dutch, German, 
French, and Spanish origin. In Pennsylvania there are 
many industrious and wealthy farmers, whose forefathers 
came from Germany, and who still speak the German 
language. There are German settlements also in some 
other states. In Louisiana are many French, who speak 
the French language. Louisiana, as will be shown in 
another place, was originally a French colony. In this 
state, as well as in Florida, there are some people of 
Spanish origin. Those of Scottish descent are settled in 
different parts of the United States, but are not very nu- 
merous. There a few Jews ; and more or less persons 
from almost every civilized Christian nation. Of the 
foreigners settled in our country, a large number are 
Irish. These, in general, are a very laborious people, ' 
and they are scattered through all parts of the Union. 
e2 



46 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The national language is English ; it is studied and 
taught in all the public schools ; and by great numbers 
is spoken and written with purity and elegance. That 
part of the inhabitants who are descended from English 
forefathers, pay much attention to education. I shall 
speak, however, of particular institutions of learning, when 
I come to speak of particular states. In a number of 
the original states, and in some of the new ones, religious 
as well as literary institutions are respectably maintained : 
but the northern part of the Union is much better pro- 
vided with regular public worship and religious instruc- 
tion, than the other parts. It is to be hoped, however, 
that an increasing desire to enjoy the benefits of religious 
institutions, is arising in almost all parts of the country ; 
and that the belief is becoming more and more general 
that a nation cannot be truly great, prosperous, and happy, 
without the general diffusion of useful knowledge, nor 
without the general prevalence of good morals, founded 
upon principles of religion. 

What is the employment of the great body of white people ? 

In what respect do farmers and planters differ 1 

What is said of manufactures and commerce 1 

What is said of the fisheries ? 

From whom are the white people of the United States descended? 

In what parts are religious and literary institutions most flourishing ? 



CHAPTER XIII. 

BLACKS. 



Within the United States there are about two millions, 
of black people. They are an extremely unfortunate 
race of men. Much the larger part of them are slaves, 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 47 

and even those who are free, are in general ignorant and 
degraded. For this, however, they are not to be blamed, 
since it is principally owing to causes over which they 
have no control. 

The blacks were originally brought from Africa, a 
country on the eastern side of the Atlantic, and far to 
the south. They were bought or taken there by persons 
engaged in the slave trade. The barbarous nations of 
Africa, when they take prisoners in war, sell them as 
slaves ; and white people, from almost all civilized na- 
tions, have for many ages been in the habit of going to 
Africa to purchase them. It is about two hundred years 
since the first slaves were brought over and sold in this 
country. But this wicked traffic was abolished by a 
law of the United States in the year 1808.* The great 
body of the slaves now in this country are the descendants 
of those who were brought over from Africa before that 
time. 

The free blacks are either slaves set at liberty, or their 
descendants. Formerly there were slaves in all the 
thirteen original states ; but they were always much more 
numerous at the south than at the north. About the time 
of the revolutionary war, slavery was abolished in the 
northern states : it has been gradually coming to an end 
since that time in 'several others of the original states; 
and in the states north-west of the Ohio River it has never 
been allowedf The slaves are principally engaged in 
working on the ground and in domestic labours.f* 
Some rich planters own several hundreds of them ; and 
every planter has a considerable number. The farmers 

* Laws against the slave trade have been passed in England and France, 
and in several other countries of Europe, 
t A considerable number are mechanics. 



48 VIEW Or THE UNITED STATES. 

in the states where slavery is allowed, commonly own 
from three to twelve. The slaves are in general treated 
with kindness, and appear cheerful and happy. It is 
considered as very disgraceful, throughout all the states 
in which slavery is allowed, to have the name of a cruel 
master. The situation of the slaves is perhaps more 
happy than that of the free blacks, in the states where 
slaves are kept ; but both classes are very much to be 
pitied, on account of their degraded state ; and it is mat- 
ter of deep regret, that slavery was ever introduced into 
our country 

The blame of introducing slavery, however, must not 
be ascribed to the present owners of slaves. Slavery is 
generally considered a great evil in the states where it is 
found ; and the wisest and best men of those states would 
gladly be rid of it. But the slaves are so numerous, and 
their natural increase is so great, that it is not easy to de- 
vise the means of setting them at liberty. To make 
them free, without putting them in a situation to get a 
comfortable living, would be cruelty instead of kindness 
or justice; and to retain them in a state of slavery, with- 
out giving them instruction, would be cruelty also. It is 
clearly the duty of those who own slaves, to provide for 
their moral and religious instruction, — to teach them to 
read, and especially to read the Bible, to observe the 
Christian sabbath in a religious manner, and to keep all 
the commandments of God. Without instruction, the 
slaves will not be virtuous nor faithful to their masters ; 
nor will' they ever be prepared for liberty, should a way 
in other respects be opened for them to receive it.* White 

* Much pains are taken in many places to teach the slaves. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 49 

people, who live in ignorance, generally live in wicked- 
ness ; and people of all colours and conditions have con- 
tinual need of instruction, concerning the duties they owe 
to God and to one another. 

Within a kw years a large and respectable society 
has been formed in the United States, called the Ameri- 
can Colonization Society. The object of this society is 
to provide a place of residence, out of this country, for 
black people who are already free ; and, in this way, to 
encourage masters to liberate their slaves. The society 
has already purchased, on the western coast of Africa, a 
territory as large as the state of Massachusetts, and has 
carried over to it more than two thousand persons. 
The name of the colony is Liberia. It is at present in 
a very prosperous state, and the Colonization Society 
hope to carry over many thousand more, and to be the 
means of bringing about, at some future period, the entire 
removal of slavery from the United States. Many peo- 
ple in the states where slaves are held, would be glad to 
set them at liberty, provided they could be carried to 
some place, where they could obtain a comfortable living, 
and enjoy the benefits of instruction. Such a place is 
Liberia ; and should Divine Providence smile, as we have 
reason to hope, upon the exertions of the society, there 
will be at a future day a great, enlightened, and happy 
colony, or nation, of black people in that country. 
Schools and churches have been already established 
there, and these will be multiplied as the colony increases. 
Thus the black people, whose fathers were brought to 
this country to be slaves, may be returned to the land of 
their fathers, and carry along with them the blessings of 
liberty, knowledge, and Christianity. Every friend to 



50 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

liberty, to virtue, and to mankind, must rejoice in all 
wise and successful endeavours to make the black people 
wise and happy; and every white man in the United 
States, who loves his country, must heartily wish for the 
time when all his countrymen may enjoy equal right and 
privileges. 

How many black people in the United States ? What is their condition 1 

From what country were they originally brought ? 
How long since the first slaves were brought to this country 1 
When was the slave-trade abolished in the United States 1 
How are slaves generally treated in this country 1 
What is the object of the American Colonization Society 1 What has the 

Society done ? 



CHAPTER XIV. 

INDIANS, 

The number of Indians now living within the limits of 
the United States, is not accurately known. It is sup- 
posed to be about three hundred thousand. In most of 
the old states there are a few still remaining, the mise- 
rable and degraded remnants of tribes once large and 
powerful. They have been reduced to their present 
situation by wars with the white people, and by habits of 
intoxication and indolence. Their lands having been 
taken and cleared by the whites, they have lost their an- 
cient advantages for hunting, and they have almost uni- 
versally refused to adopt the means of livelihood made 
use of by civilized men. Even where they have in some 
measure adopted these means, they have manifested but 
little activity, diligence, or skill. The great obstacle to 
improvement among the Indians, appears to be the vice 
of drunkenness. This vice, it is probable, more than all 






VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 51 

other causes, renders them sottish, shiftless, and poor ; 
and prevents their making use of the means of instruction 
and other advantages which they might enjoy. 

At the south, in the states of Tennessee, Georgia, 
Alabama, and Missisippi, there are still remaining con- 
siderable tribes of Indians ; namely, the Cherokees,* 
Creeks, Chickasaws, and Choctaws. These tribes live 
upon lands, which they respectively claim and hold as 
their own. The boundaries of the territory belonging 
to each tribe have been fixed by treaty or agreement 
with the government of the United States. Within a 
few years, the people of these tribes have made consi- 
derable advances towards civilization. Of course their 
customs and their condition are very much altered from 
what they formerly were. As the game of their hunting 
grounds becomes scarce, they are obliged to find some 
other way of life besides hunting ; and through the in- 
struction and assistance afforded them by benevolent white 
people, they are now making many pleasing improvements. 

By the aid of missionaries, who have been sent and 
supported among them, they have been instructed in the 
Christian religion, and a considerable number appear to 
be real Christians. They have also been taught the va- 
rious arts of civilized life ; and besides having schools and 
churches established among them, they have fields in- 
closed and cultivated, cattle, sheep, and horses, barns, re- 
gular dwelling-houses, and in some instances magistrates, 
public roads, and civil divisions into counties. They have 
looms, ploughs, and blacksmith's shops, and exercise va- 
rious mechanical arts. Some of the Indians are wealthy 



* A part of this tribe have removed within a few years, and settled on 
the Arkansas west of the Missisippi. 



52 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

planters, and own a number of slaves. They are com- 
monly dressed in cotton cloth of their own manufacture. 
A considerable number of their children are taught to 
read, write, and cipher ; and the desire of the parents to 
send their children to school, as well as the inclination of 
the children to learn, is evidently increasing. The boys 
at school spend a part of their time in learning how to 
cultivate the ground, or in acquiring some useful trade. 
The girls are taught needlework, and the management of 
household affairs. 

A Cherokee, by the name of Guess, has lately invented 
a peculiar and easy mode of writing his native language ; 
and the use of his characters, or letters, is now pretty 
generally known throughout the Cherokee nation. Some 
books have been printed by white people in the languages 
of all the four tribes which have been mentioned ; but the 
Cherokees have a printing press of their own, at which a 
newspaper is printed in Cherokee and English. 

Great exertions are now made, by benevolent and 
Christian white people, to give the Indians the Bible as 
well as other books in their own tongues. 

It is true that these tribes or nations still present a 
curious mixture of the manners and customs of savage 
and civilized life ; yet from the improvements which in 
various respects they have made during fifteen or twenty 
years past, there is every reason to believe that, with 
continued aid and encouragement, they will become at 
no distant day enlightened, moral, and religious. The 
government of the United States has hitherto manifested" 1 
a paternal regard for these tribes ; and it will be for the 
glory of our* nation, as well as for the happiness of our red 
brethren, if we persevere in respecting their rights. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



53 



West of the river Missisippi there is a great number of 
Indian tribes, such as the Osuges, Sioux, Mandaus, and 
many others ; most of them, however, are small. With 
the exception of a few who are connected with missionary 
stations, the Indians in that part of the United States are 
all savages, and quite destitute of the means of improve- 
ment. On the great western prairies, large droves of 
horses run wild ; and the Indians in those parts are much 
given to riding on horseback. They have guns, knives, 




Sioux Warrior, in the act of charging. 

blankets, and other articles which they purchase of the 
white traders frequenting their country. They pay for 
what is thus purchased in the skins of the buffalo, deer, 
beaver, and other animals-. The flesh of the animals they 
take serves them for food. It is said that many tribes 
about the sources or heads of the Missisippi, are supplied 
with a great part of their food from the wild rice, a plant 
which springs up in the water and is very productive. 
It will be seen from this chapter, that the condition of 



54 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

almost all the Indian tribes within the limits of the United 
States, is changed from what it formerly was. Their 
implements of war, their dress, their tools, their cooking 
utensils, and in many instances their manner of living, 
are' greatly altered in consequence of their intercourse 
with white men. But it is painful to think how prone 
they have been to adopt the worst vices of the whites : 
how greedily they have exchanged their valuable furs and 
skins for strong drink, and how generally they have con- 
tracted the habit of drunkenness. No tribe has ever 
formed an acquaintance with white men, without becom- 
ing drunkards. It is gratifying to know, however, that 
the labours of Christian missionaries are doing much to 
lessen the evils of drunkenness in the tribes among whom 
they are stationed. In some tribes severe laws have been 
made by the chiefs against the use of ardent spirits ; and 
generally, as the Indians have enjoyed the means of 
Christian instruction under favourable circumstances, they 
have improved in their moral habits. 

There can be no question it is our duty as men, as 
Christians, and as citizens of a free and enlightened go- 
vernment, to extend as fast and as far as may be the 
blessings of knowledge and civilization to the red men of 
our country. We owe them this duty, as they are des- 
cendants of the original owners of the soil ; as they are 
a part of the great family to which we belong ; and as 
they have recently given very encouraging evidence, that 
with well-directed efforts they are quite capable of being 
enlightened and civilized. 

What is the probable number of Indians within the United States ? 
What is said of those yet remaining in the old states ? 
In what states east of the Missisippi are the most considerable tribes ? 
What are the names of these tribes ? Give an account of their situation 1 
What is said of the Indians west of the Missisippi ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 55 

CHAPTER XV. 

VIRGINIA. 

In the preceding chapters having given a general view 
of the United States, I now propose to call the pupil's 
attention to each state separately. In doing this, I have 
thought it adviseable to begin with the oldest of the states, 
and to proceed with the rest according to the order of 
time in which they respectively became either English 
colonies or members of the Union. This method has 
been adopted with the purpose of fixing in the pupil's 
mind some important historical facts and dates, and thus 
preparing him to read the history of his country. 

The first of the United States in which a permanent 
settlement was made by white people, is Virginia. After 
several unsuccessful attempts, a settlement was commen- 
ced in the year 1607 at Jamestown, on the northern 
bank of James River. * The people were sent over from 
England by a company of London merchants ; and it 
was intended that the colonists should search for mines 
of gold and silver, cultivate the land, and trade with the 
Indians for the benefit of the company. But after 
remaining in the country about three years, they were so 
reduced by famine and other calamities, that they deter- 
mined to return home to England. Leaving their houses 
standing, they had actually set sail for that purpose. At 
the mouth of James River they were met by Lord Dela- 
ware, with supplies of men and provisions. He persuaded 
the disheartened colonists to go back to their settlement ; 



* Jamestown is now in ruins. It is situated about forty miles from the 
mouth of the river. 



56 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

and under his judicious care the colony began to flourish. 
In the year 1622, however, it was overtaken by a dread- 
ful calamity. For some time the colonists had lived 
harmoniously with the Indians ; but the Indians now 
formed a plan to murder all their white neighbours, and 
break up the colony. The plot was contrived and ma- 
naged with great art ; and although it did not wholly 
succeed, yet more than three hundred men, women, and 
children, were murdered by the Indians in one night.* 
This calamity was followed by an Indian war ; the set- 
tlements not destroyed by the Indians were very much 
reduced, and the people threatened with famine.. But at 
length the Indians were subdued, and brought to terms 
of peace ; the colony revived, and again began to increase 
in wealth and numbers. Such was the origin of the 
state of Virginia. 

This state has the largest territory of any state in the 
Union ; it contains about sixty-six thousand square miles. 
It is divided into one hundred and three counties, and 
the number of its inhabitants is about twelve hundred 
thousand. Of this population, not far from five hundred, 
thousand are slaves. 

The eastern parts of the state are watered by the 
Potomac, Rappahannoc, and Jame? Rivers ; the western 
parts by the Kenhawa and the Ohio ; and the southern 
parts by the Chowan and Roanoke. Besides these rivers 
and their branches, there are others of smaller size. The 
ridges of the Allegany Mountains cross the state in a 
north-easterly and south-westerly direction. 

In respect to soil, surface, and population, Virginia 

* The surviving colonists amounting to about 1800. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 57 

may be divided into three parts ; the eastern, the middle, 
and the western. 

The eastern part, and the smallest in extent, is low 
and flat, in some places marshy, and in others sandy. 
Except on the banks of the rivers, it is not fertile. Still 
it is the most populous part of the state. The blacks in 
this part are rather more numerous than the whites. 

The next, or middle division, is rough and hilly, and 
in some places mountainous. It is, however, the most 
fertile part of Virginia; the population is nearly as dense 
as in the eastern part ; and the blacks are about equal in 
number to the whites. 

West Virginia, or the third division, comprises nearly 
half the territory of the state. Its surface is uneven and 
mountainous, but it contains much good land. The po- 
pulation is scattered, and the slaves are few. 



Capitol of Virginia. 

The capital of Virginia is Richmond. This cry is 
built on a slope, rising from the north bank of James 

f2 



58 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

River, at the head of tide waters. Its situation is fine, 
and its appearance very pleasing ; and being well situated 
for trade and manufactures, it has an extensive commerce. 
Richmond is indeed a wealthy and elegant city. Its po- 
pulation is over sixteen thousand. 

At Norfolk, on Elizabeth River, which runs into James 
River near its mouth, is the principal harbour in the state. 
This town is largely engaged in foreign commerce. Its 
population is nearly ten thousand. 

Petersburg, on the Appomatox, a branch of James 
River, is a place of great trade in grain, flour,, cotton, 
and tobacco. Its population is rising eight thousand. 
Yessels of considerable size ascend James River as far 
as Richmond, and the Appomatox as far as Petersburg. 
Petersburg is twenty-five miles south of Richmond. 

Lynchburg, on the south bank of James River, one 
hundred and eighteen miles west from Richmond, is dis- 
tinguished for its trade and manufactures, being surroun- 
ded by a fertile and well-cultivated country. Between 
Richmond and Lynchburg, James River is navigable for 
boats ; and vast quantities of produce are transported 
upon it.. 

Fredericksburg, Staunton, and Winchester, in the more 
northerly part of the state, are considerable and flourish- 
ing towns. The only town of much importance in the 
western division of Virginia is Wheeling, on the river 
Ohio, and in the north-west corner of the state. Wheel- 
is a* growing place, of much trade. 

Virginia has but few. large towns, and none very large. 
Large towns are commonly built up by commerce ; but 
the people of Virginia are mostly engaged in agriculture. 
They raise tobacco, wheat, Indian corn, and in the south- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATE 3. 59 

era counties some cotton. Coal and iron are abundant 
in the central and western parts of the state ; but they 
are not much worked at present. 

The state of Virginia has a large fund for the support 
of schools ; but education is not so much and so gene- 
rally attended to as is desirable. Besides the Virginia 
University there are three colleges, namely, William and 
Mary College, Washington College, and Hampden Sid- 
ney College. 

The Virginia University has recently been established. 
It is very delightfully situated at Charlottesville, in Albe- 
marle county. The buildings for the accommodation of 
professors and students are large and expensive, and the 
institution promises to be very useful. 

Near Hampden Sidney College is a school, called a 
Theological Seminary, at which young gentlemen are 
prepared to become preachers of the gospel. There are 
also many schools or academies in the different parts of 
the state. 

Virginia has always been a very important state in the 
Union. It has furnished four presidents of the United 
States, and many other celebrated men ; and it is en- 
deared to all the citizens of the Union, as the native 
state of George Washington. 

What is said of the first settlement of Virginia? Where was it made ? 
Who sent the people over from England, and for what purpose ? Did the 

plan succeed? 
How long before the colonists became discouraged ? What course did 

they take ? Who met them at the mouth of James River, and what 

followed ? 
What great calamity befel the colony in 1622, and what is said in relation 

to it? 
What is said of the territory of Virginia ? What number of people ? How 

many slaves ? 
What is said of the eastern part of Virginia 1 Of the middle ? Of the 

western ? 
What is the capital of Virginia, and what is said of it ? 



60 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

What other important towns, and where situated 1 

How are most of the people employed, and what do they raise 1 

What is said of coal and iron ? 

What is said of schools and education ? Of the Virginia University, and 

of the Colleges ? 
For what is Virginia particularly distinguished 1 



CHAPTER XVI. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

After Virginia, Massachusetts is the oldest English 
settlement within the limits of the United States. A 
number of pious and enterprising men fled from England 
to this state to enjoy religious liberty ; that is, to enjoy 
the liberty of worshipping and serving God according to 
their own understanding of his mind and will, as revealed 
in the Bible. A company consisting of one hundred 
and one persons, men, women, and children, landed at 
Plymouth near the end of the year 1626.* This settle- 
ment was called the Colony of Plymouth. The colo- 
nists endured many hardships from the severity of the 
climate and the want of proper food. One half of them 
died within less than six months from the time of landing 3 
and for a number of years the progress of the colony was 
slow. 

In the year 1628 a much larger and more wealthy 
company came over from England, and landed at Salem. 
Here they began a settlement, which was called the 
Colony of Massachusetts Bay. 

Boston was founded two years afterward, and the 
country around it gradually settled. The colonies of 
Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were united into one 
colony in the year 1692. This united colony, after the 

* December 22. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 61 

declaration of Independence, became the State or Com- 
monwealth of Massachusetts. 

With respect to territory, Massachusetts is among the 
small states : but few of the states have more wealth or 
a greater, number of white inhabitants ; and none have 
more intelligence and enterprise. This state contains 
about seven thousand five hundred square miles, is divided 
into fourteen counties, and upwards of three hundred 
towns ; and has a population of six hundred and ten 
thousand.. 

The principal rivers of Massachusetts, are the Con- 
necticut and the Merrimack, mentioned in a preceding 
chapter. The position and course of these rivers of 
Massachusetts, will be best learned by looking at the 
map. The Housatonick rises in the western part of the 
state, arid flowing southerly through a fertile and pleasant 
country, enters the state of Connecticut. 

The surface of Massachusetts, in the south-east quarter 
and near the sea, is level ; farther back is a fine hilly 
country, and the western part of the state is mountainous. 
The hilly and mountainous parts have in general a good 
soil, while the level tracts are sandy and poor. The 
meadows on the banks of the Connecticut, however, and 
of some other streams, afford a very rich soil, and pro- 
duce abundant crops. The chief agricultural products 
of the state are grass^ beef, pork, mutton, butter, cheese, 
Indian corn, rye, oats, barley, wheat, flax, potatoes, 
turnips, and apples. 

The state abounds in a species of stone much used in 
building, called granite ; and in the western part are ex- 
tensive quarries of beautiful marble. 

The sea coast is well supplied with harbours, and the 



(>2 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. , 

people of Massachusetts are largely engaged in com- 
merce, navigation, and the fisheries. Vast quantities of 
cod and mackerel are taken yearly for home consump- 
tion and for exportation. Many vessels are employed 
in the whale fishery, and many more in carrying the 
productions of the southern states to foreign countries. 

The capital of Massachusetts is Boston. This city is 
built on a peninsula between Charles River and the sea. 
Its harbour is extensive and beautiful, capable of admit- 
ing the largest ships, yet so narrow at the entrance as not 
to allow more than two ships to come in side by side. 

Boston is a place of great wealth, and is distinguished 
for its admirable system of public education, as well as 
for religious and benevolent institutions. The foreign 
trade of this city is greater than any other city in the 
Union, except New- York. It is connected with the 
country by the neck, joining the peninsula on which it 
stands to the main land — by a very long and expensive 
causeway, and by six long and beautiful bridges. The 
population of Boston is upwards of sixty thousand. 

Salem is a large and wealthy commercial town, con- 
taining about fourteen thousand inhabitants. Newbury- 
port, Gloucester, Marblehead, Beverly, Charlestown, 
Plymouth, Barnstable, Nantucket, and New-Bedford, 
are all considerable towns, having some foreign com- 
merce, and more or less largely concerned in the fish- 
eries. The whale fisheries are chiefly carried on from 
New-Bedford and Nantucket, the latter of which is on 
an island of the same name, about twenty miles from the 
south shore of the state. 

Haverhill and Andover on Merrimack River, Worces- 
ter near the centre of the state, Springfield and North- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



ampton on Connecticut River, and Pittsfield near the 
western boundary, with many others, are flourishing 
and beautiful inland towns. The people of Massachu- 
setts are very largely engaged in the manufacture of 
cotton and woollen goods. The largest manufacturing 
town is Lowell, on the Merrimack. There are extensive 
factories at Waltham, Troy, and many other places. 
Lynn is famous for the manufacture of shoes. In this 
state are three important canals ; namely, Middlesex 
canal, twenty-seven miles long, connecting the waters of 
Boston harbour with Merrimack River ; Blackstone canal, 
forty miles long, extending from Worcester to Providence 
in the state of Rhode-Island ; and Farmington canal, ex- 
tending from Westfield to New-Haven in the state of 
Connecticut. The whole length of this canal is eighty 
miles. 




Cambridge College. 

In Massachusetts great attention is paid to general 
education. Every town is required by law to raise money 



64 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

for the support of schools, called district schools. Be- 
sides these there are many academies and private schools. 
Harvard University at Cambridge, three miles west of 
Boston, is the richest and oldest institution of the kind in 
the country. Williams College at Williamstown, in the 
north-west corner of the state, and Amherst College at 
Amherst, eight miles east of Connecticut River, are re- 
spectable and flourishing institutions. The Seminary at 
Andover is the most distinguished theological school in 
the United States. 

Massachusetts took a leading part in the revolutionary 
war, and is regarded as a very important member of the 
Union. She has furnishd two presidents of the United 
States, and many other great and excellent men. 

When and where was the first settlement made in the state of Massachu- 
setts ? 

By whom was the settlement made, and what was it called ? 

When and where was the second settlement made 1 What was it called ? 

When were the twD colonies united ? 

What is- said of the territory of Massachusetts 1 

How many counties ? How many towns 1 

Number of inhabitants ? Principal rivers ? 

What is said of the surface and soil 1 

What are the agricultural products ? 

What pursuits are followed by the people of the seaport towns 1 

What towns are most largely engaged in the fisheries 1 In the whale 
fisheries 1 

What inland towns, and what is said of them ? 

What is said of manufactures, and which is the largest manufacturing 
town ? 

What is said of education 1 Of common or district schools ? Of the 
University ? Of the Colleges, and Theological Seminary ? 

What concluding remark is made concerning Massachusetts ? 



CHAPTER XVII. 

NEW-HAMPSHIRE. 

As early as the year 1623, small settlements were 
made at Portsmouth and Dover. Portsmouth is about 
three miles from the mouth of Piscataqua River, and 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 65 

Dover about ten miles farther up. These settlements 
were made for the purpose of carrying on the fishing 
business and trade with the Indians. The valuable arti- 
cles obtained from the Indians consisted in furs and skins, 
which the white men received at very low rates in ex- 
change for trinkets, knives, and other articles, imported 
from England. The early progress of these settlements 
was slow, and the state of society for some time disorderly. 

In the year 1638, a settlement was begun at Exeter, 
fourteen miles south-west from Portsmouth, by Mr. John 
Wheelwright, a minister, who had been obliged to leave 
Massachusetts, on account of religious differences. He 
was attended by a number of followers, who formed a 
civil government for themselves. These three settlements, 
Portsmouth, Dover, and Exeter, had each for a short 
time a separate government ; but being feeble, and very 
much distracted by internal dissensions, they requested 
Massachusetts to receive them under her jurisdiction. 
Their request was granted ; and they continued in con- 
nexion with that colony till the year 1679, when New- 
Hampshire was formed into a separate province. Their 
connexion with Massachusetts lasted thirty-eight years. 

This state contains about nine thousand square miles, 
and is divided into eight counties. The number of towns 
is upwards of two hundred ; and of the people, about 
two hundred and seventy thousand. It is the most moun- 
tainous state in the Union, and much of its surface is so 
rocky and broken, as to be unfit for settlement. The 
White Mountains, in the northerly part of the state, it has 
already been said, are the highest in the United States 
east of the Missisippi. Besides these there are many 
other lofty summits. The principal rivers are the Con- 



66 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

necticut, the Merrimack, and the Piscataqua, already 
mentioned. These have many branches within the limits 
of New-Hampshire, all of which are more or less im- 
portant for the water-privileges they afford. 

Notwithstanding the surface of New-Hampshire is in 
general broken and mountainous, there are in different 
parts of the state considerable tracts of good land. On 
the banks of the Connecticut and Merrimack, and of 
some of their branches, are very fertile meadows. The 
state is better adapted to pasturage than tillage, and fur- 
nishes large numbers of cattle and sheep for the Boston 
market. It is not deficient, however, in most of the pro- 
ductions common in the north-eastern states. Much of 
the northern part of the state remains unsettled. 

New-Hampshire touches the sea only at its south-east 
corner. The only harbour is that of Portsmouth, but it is 
one of the best on the Atlantic coast. The strong current 
of the river keeps it quite free from ice during winter. 

Portsmouth is by far the largest and wealthiest town 
in the state. It is handsomely built, has considerable 
shipping and foreign trade, and over eight thousand inha- 
bitants. 

At Dover is a very extensive manufacturing establish- 
ment for cotton goods and other articles. Similar esta- 
blishments are numerous in the state. 

The seat of government is Concord, on Merrimack 
River. Here are an elegant State-House and a pleasant 
and nourishing village. Concord enjoys an easy intern- 
course with Boston, by means of the river and the Mid- 
dlesex canaL There are many other flourishing towns 
in the state, some of which contain from two to three 
thousand inhabitants* 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



67 




New-Hampshire State-House. 

The settlers of New-Hampshire were principally from 
Massachusetts, and they naturally brought with them the 
customs and institutions of the parent state. Education 
is much encouraged. Very generous provision is made 
by law for the support of common schools, and there are 
several nourishing academies. Phillip's Exeter Academy 
at Exeter, and Dartmouth College at Hanover, on Con- 
necticut River, are distinguished institutions. The latter 
ranks high among the colleges of New-England. 



When and where were the first settlements made in New-Hampshire 1 

When and by whom was Exeter settled ? 

How were these settlements governed for a time ? How afterwards 1 

When was New-Hampshire formed into a distinct province ? 

How large is the territory of New-Hampshire 1 Number of counties ? 

Of inhabitants 1 
What is said of the face of the country ? Of the rivers ? Of the soil and 

productions ? 
What part of New-Hampshire touches the sea? 
What is said of Portsmouth harbour 1 Of Portsmouth? Dover? Concord? 

and other towns 1 
What is said of education and of literary institutions in New-Hampshire ? 



68 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

CONNECTICUT. 

The parent of Connecticut is Massachusetts. In 1633 
a number of men from Plymouth, with materials for a 
house all prepared, sailed for Connecticut River, with 
the design of securing the trade and friendship of the In- 
dians in that quarter. Some Dutch people from New 
Netherlands, afterwards called New- York, had just 
entered the river, and taken a station about fifty miles 
from its mouth, at the place where Hartford now stands. 
Here they had erected a light fort, and mounted two 
pieces of cannon. When the Plymouth adventurers ar- 
rived at this place, they were forbidden by the Dutch to 
proceed up the river,, and ordered to strike their colours. 
The adventurers, however, went resolutely forward, and 
landed on the west side of the river a few miles above. 
Here they erected the first house in Connecticut. The 
Dutch, in the course of a year or two, left the river. 

But no permanent settlement was made in Connecticut 
till 1635, when the towns of Windsor, Hartford, and 
Weathersfield, were commenced by people from Massa- 
chusetts.* These people were principally from three 
towns in the vicinity of Boston ; namely, Dorchester, 
Newton, and Watertown. Men, women, and children, 
travelled through the wilderness upwards of a hundred 
miles to the banks of the Connecticut. They took with 
them horses, cattle, and swine, and were two weeks in 



* Windsor is seven miles above, and Weatkersfield fcui? miles bslow 
Hartfosd. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 69 

performing the journey. The people from Dorchester 
made their journey in the autumn of 1635 5 and in June, 
1636, nearly all the people of Newton followed them. 
These emigrants from Massachusetts formed a govern- 
ment for themselves, and for many years lived happily 
under it. 

In 1637, a wealthy company from England, at the 
head of whom were two merchants and a famous minister 
of London, arrived at Boston. Great pains were taken 
to persuade them to settle in Massachusetts ; but they 
preferred establishing a colony by themselves. Accord- 
ingly, having purchased lands of the Indians, they planted 
themselves at the place now called New-Haven. They 
were shortly after joined by other people from England, 
and became a very flourishing colony. New-Haven re- 
mained a distinct colony till the year 1665, when it was 
united with Connecticut under one governor. 

The state of Connecticut contains about five thousand 
square miles, and is divided into eight counties. These 
are subdivided into towns, like the counties of Massa- 
chusetts and New-Hampshire. The population in Con- 
necticut is nearly three hundred thousand. 

The principal rivers of this state are the Connecticut, 
the Hous-sa-ton-ic, and the Thames. * These rivers run 
south, and fall into Long-Island Sound. The surface of 
the state is very agreeably diversified by hills, valleys, 
and plains. The soil is generally good and well culti- 
vated. The productions are similar to those of Massa- 
chusetts. In some towns considerable attention is paid 
to the raising of silkworms. 

The legislature meets alternately at Hartford and 

* Temz. 

g2 



70 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES* 



New-Haven. Hartford is a fine regular city, of above 
ten thousand inhabitants, situated at the head of sloop 
navigation on the Connecticut. It has considerable trade 
and extensive manufactures. 

New-Haven is situated on a plain, at the head of a 
bay which makes up from Long-Island Sound. It has 
over ten thousand inhabitants, and is one of the most 
beautiful cities in the United States. It is the largest and 
most commercial town in Connecticut. The harbour is 
capacious and safe ; but the water is not deep enough to 
admit the largest vessels. It is connected with Westfield, 
in Massachusetts, by the Farmington canal. 

Middletown, on the Connecticut, below Hartford, and 
Norwich, on the Thames, have considerable commerce ; 
but the best harbour in the state is at New-London, near 
the mouth of the Thames. Pleasant and flourishing 
towns are very numerous in Connecticut ; and the people 
are noted for industry and enterprise. 




Hartford Deaf and Dumb Asylum. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 71 

Great attention is paid to education by the people of 
Connecticut. They have a very large state fund, for 
the support of common schools. At New-Haven is Yale 
College, one of the most eminent and flourishing semi- 
naries in the Union. At Hartford is Washington College, 
lately established, but promising great usefulness ; and at 
the same place is an asylum for educating the deaf and 
dumb. The success of this latter institution has been 
truly great and wonderful. Beside those already men- 
tioned, there are many other flourishing and useful semi- 
naries of learning in Connecticut. The state has pro- 
duced many distinguished and excellent men. 

When and by whom were the first permanent settlements made in Con- 
necticut 1 What towns did they settle ? Where are they situated ? 

What is said of the government 1 

When and by whom was iNew-Haven settled? What is said of this co- 
lony ? When was it united with Connecticut under one governor? 

How many square miles in Connecticut 1 How many counties 1 How 
many inhabitants 1 What are the principal rivers ? What is said of tho 
surface, soil, and productions ? At what places doea the legislature 
meet 1 What is said of Hartford ? Of New-Haven 1 Of Middletown 
and Norwich 1 Where is the best harbour ? What is said of other towns? 

What is said of education, and the means of supporting common schools ? 
Of Yale CoHege, and other seminaries ? 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MARYLAND. 

Tn 1632, the King of England granted the territory of 
Maryland to Cecilius Calvert, Lord Baltimore. Two 
years afterwards his brother, George Calvert, arrived at 
the mouth of the Potomac, with two hundred settlers. 
He sailed up the river, and landed at St. Mary's. This 
colony was mostly composed of gentlemen of good families, 
and was established on the principle of freedom in reli- 
gion, without allowing pre-eminence to any particular sect. 



72 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The lands for settlement were purchased of the Indi- 
ans, and fifty acres granted and secured to each of the 
settlers. The people elected a house of assembly to 
make laws for the colony ; but the appointment of go- 
vernor, and the right of approving or disapproving the 
acts of the assembly, were retained by the proprietor, 
and remained in the family of Lord Baltimore till the 
revolution. 

Maryland contains about ten thousand square miles, 
exclusive of water ; is divided into nineteen counties, and 
has over four hundred thousand inhabitants. Of these, 
upwards of a hundred thousand are slaves. 

The Potomac forms the south-western boundary of 
Maryland, and the Susquehanna enters the state just be- 
fore it meets the waters of Chesapeake Bay. This Bay 
divides the state into two parts, called eastern and west- 
ern shores. Eight of the counties are in the eastern 
part, most of which is an extensive plain, sandy and ow, 
and intersected by creeks and rivers. The western part 
near the bay is of a similar character, but becomes un- 
even and hilly at some distance from it. The western 
extremity of the state is mountainous. Maryland fur- 
nishes a great variety of soil. The level parts are most 
uniform, and are tolerably prodiyctive. Some very pro- 
ductive land is found in the hilly parts : but the most 
fruitful soil is found in the valleys of the mountainous 
part. The principal productions of the soil are wheat, 
tobacco, and Indian corn. Iron ore, coal, and limestone, 
are found in abundance among the mountains. 

On the north side of Petapsco River, fourteen miles 
from its entrance into Chesapeke Bay, is Baltimore. 
Few cities have had a more rapid growth than this. In 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 73 

population it is the third in the Union, containing over 
eighty thousand inhabitants. The city is generally well 
built, and mostly of brick. Many of the houses, espe- 
cially those lately erected, display great elegance and 
taste. The streets are well paved. The principal one, 
called Market-street, is about a mile long, runs parallel 
with the water, and is intersected at right angles by va- 
rious other streets. 

The Washington Monument, near the compact part of 
the town, is a noble structure, one hundred and sixty- 
three feet high. On the top of this monument stands a 
statue of Washington. The harbour of Baltimore is not 
large, but safe and convenient. Its commerce is great, 
especially in tobacco and flour. It is one of the greatest 
flour markets in the world. In the neighbourhood of 
the city there are more than sixty flour and corn mills, 
beside several extensive cotton factories and iron works. 
Baltimore has always had much of the trade of the west- 
ern states. The Baltimore and Ohio Rail-road, a vast 
work now partly completed, is intended to facilitate the 
intercourse between the city and the valley of the Ohio. 
Annapolis, twenty-eight miles south of Baltimore, a 
pleasant village of nearly three thousand inhabitants, is 
the seat of government. Here is an elegant State-House. 
The other cosiderable towns are Easton on the east 
shore, Frederickstown, Hagerstown, and Cumberland in 
the western part. A great road over the Allegany Moun- 
tains, built at the expense of the United States, passes 
through Cumberland. 

In this state education is tolerably well attended to* 
There are several academies supported in part by the 
state. At Baltimore there is one of the most nourishing 



74 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

medical schools in the country. There are also two 
other institutions, called St. Mary's College and Balti- 
more College. 

Maryland has furnished many distinguished men, es- 
pecially in the profession of law. 

When and to whom was the territory of Maryland granted ? 

When and where was the first settlement made ? 

What is said of the character of the settlers, and of the conditions of the 
settlement? 

How was the colony governed ? 

How lyge is the territory of Maryland ? How many counties ? How 
many inhabitants ? 

How many counties east of Chesapeake Bay ? What is said of the land 
in these counties ? In the other counties ? 

What are the principal productions of the soil 1 

What minerals are found in the mountainous parts ? 

What is said of Baltimore ? Of its harbour and commerce ? Of the Bal- 
timore and Ohio Rail-road ? 

What is the seat of government ? 

What other considerable towns ? 

What is said of education? 



CHAPTER XX. 



RHODE-ISLAND. 



Dissensions in Massachusetts on the subject of religion 
caused the settlement of Rhode-Island. Roger Williams, 
minister of Salem, being banished from Massachusetts on 
account of his religious opinions, established himself with 
five others in the year 1636, at Providence. A grant of 
the land on which they settled, was made by the Indians 
in that quarter ; and their first settlement was called Provi- 
dence, on account of the Divine Goodness in providing 
for them a safe retreat among friendly savages, from the 
hostility and violence of Christian brethren. 

Soon after this, Ann Hutchinson, a woman of much 
talent and influence, with a number of followers, also left 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 75 

Massachusetts on account of religious difficulties. They 
settled on an island in Narragansett Bay, called Rhode- 
Island.* The island was purchased of the Indians, and 
the first settlement made in the year 1638. For a time 
Rhode-Island and Providence were distinct colonies; 
but in the year 1647, they were united under one go- 
vernment. 

In this colony, perfect religious toleration was practised ; 
and it deserves to be mentioned to the honour of Roger 
Williams, that although he was banished from Massachu- 
setts, and his colony was afterwards refused admission 
into a confederacy of the New-England colonies for mu- 
tual protection, yet he never showed any resentment. 
He employed himself in acts of kindness towards the 
Massachusetts people, always giving them, as he was 
able, timely warning of the hostile designs of their enemies, 

Rhode-Island in extent is the smallest of the states. 
Exclusive of water, its area is not more than twelve hun- 
dred square miles. It is divided into five counties, which 
are subdivided into towns. The population is nearly one 
hundred thousand. 

The western and north-western parts of the state are 
hilly and rocky, with a poor soil ; but the islands of Nar- 
ragansett Bay, and the country bordering upon it, are 
very fertile, and abound in the productions common to 
the New-England states. This bay is one of the most 
beautiful sheets of water in the world, and is of great ad- 
vantage to the state. Near the northern extremity of 
this bay, is Providence. Here is a good harbour, with 
water deep enough to admit vessels of nine hundred tons. 

* This island was called by the Indians Aquetnuk, and is about fifteen 
miles long from north to south, and three and a half miles wide. 



76 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Providence is one of the busiest and most flourishing 
towns in the United States, being very extensively en- 
gaged in commerce and manufactures. A profitable 
intercourse between Providence and Worcester in Mas- 
sachusetts, is maintained by means of the Blackstone 
Canal. The population of Providence is about seventeen 
thousand. 

Newport, on Rhode-Island, and near the entrance of 
the bay, is celebrated for its excellent harbour. It is an 
ancient and pleasant town, with about eight thousand 
inhabitants. Bristol and Warren, on the eastern shore of 
Narragansett bay, are pleasant and nourishing towns, with 
good harbours and considerable trade. Pawtucket, at 
the beautiful falls of Pawtucket River, is a very flourish- 
ing village, and distinguished for manufactures. In pro- 
portion to the number of people, no state in the Union is 
so extensively engaged in manufactures as Rhode-Island. 

Education in this state has been rather neglected, the 
towns not having been required by law to support com- 
mon schools, as in the other New-England states. Laws, 
however, have recently been passed, very favourable to 
such schools. Academies are maintained in some of the 
towns. Brown University, at Providence, is a respect- 
able and growing institution. 

When, where, and by whom, was the first settlement made in Rhode- 
Island ? When, where, and by whom, was the second settlement made? 
What caused these settlements? When were they united under one 
government 1 

How large is Rhode-Island ? How many counties ? How many inha- 
bitants ? . 

What is said of the soil and productions of Rhode-Island ? 

What is said of Providence ? Of Newport and other towns ? Of manu- 
factories ? Of education ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 77 



CHAPTER XXL 

NORTH-CAROLINA. 

In 1663, a large tract of land south of Virginia, includ- 
ing what are now the two Carolinas, was granted by the 
King of England to several English noblemen, who took 
immediate measures for the settlement of a colony. 
Previous to this grant, some small settlements had been 
made near Albemarle Sound by people from Virginia, 
and around Cape Fear by emigrants from New-England. 
In 1665, a colony arrived from Barbadoes, one of the 
West-India Islands, and settled on the south bank of Cape 
Fear River. In 1680, Charleston, the capital of the co- 
lony, was founded, and soon became a considerable and 
flourishing town. In 1729, Carolina was divided into the 
two provinces of North and South Carolina, and a go- 
vernment for each established under the King of England. 

North-Carolina contains about fifty thousand square 
miles, is divided into sixty-three counties, and has a po- 
pulation of near seven hundred thousand, of whom over 
two hundred thousand are slaves. 

The principal rivers are the Roanoake, Neuse, and 
Cape Fear River, all flowing in a south-easterly direc- 
tion through the state. 

As respects surface, soil, and climate, North-Carolina 
may be divided into three distinct parts. For sixty miles 
inland from the Atlantic, including nearly half the state, 
it is a level, sandy, barren plain, covered with immense 
pine forests. Turpentine, tar, and phie timber, are among 
the principal productions of the state. The land imme- 
diately on the banks of rivers is fertile, but such situations 

H 



78 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

•are very unhealthy. To the sandy plain a fine hilly 
country succeeds, with much fertile soil. The remainder 
of the state is mountainous. The hilly and mountainous 
parts are of nearly equal extent. Cotton and tobacco 
are the principal crops of the low country ; grain of vari- 
ous kinds is the chief product of the rest of the state. 
The hilly country is most populous, the mountainous least 
so. On the plains, the slaves are nearly equal to the 
whites in number ; in the hilly country the whites are 
twice as numerous as the blacks ; among the mountains 
there are but few slaves. 

Iron ore abounds in the western part of the state, and 
gold is found in considerable quantities. It is found 
mixed with the soil generally in small grains, but some- 
times in lumps of considerable size. 

In this state are no large towns nor good harbours. 
The largest town and the best harbour is Wilmington, 
near the mouth of Cape Fear River Fayetteville, ninety 
miles up the river, is a place of considerable trade ; the 
same may be said of Edington on Albemarle Sound, of 
Washington on Pamlico River, and of Newbern on the 
Neuse. Raleigh, near the centre of the state, is the seat 
of government. Here is a handsome State-House, in 
which is an elegant marble statue of Washington. 

The Dismal-Swamp Canal unites Albemarle Sound 
with James River in Virginia. It is twenty-three miles 
long, and so wide and deep as to be passable for sloops 
and other small vessels. 

Education is not sufficiently attended to in this state. 
There is, however, a respectable institution, called the 
University of North-Carolina, at Chapel Hill, twenty- 
eight miles north-westerly from Raleigh. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 79 

In what year, and to whom, was the territory including the two Carolinas 

granted ? 
Had any settlement been previously made in this territory ? Where and 

by whom ? When was Charleston, the capital of the colony, founded ? 
When was the colony divided 1 

By whom was the government for each division established ? 
How large is the territory of North-Carolina 1 Into how many counties- is 

it divided ? What is the population 1 How many slaves 1 
What is said of the principal rivers ? 

As respects the surface and soil, how may North-Carolina be divided? 
What is said of the divisions respectively ? 
What are the principal crops of the low country 1 What of the rest of 

the state ? What ores are found in the state ? 
What is said of towns and harbours in North-Carolina ? Which is the 

largest town? What other towns are mentioned ? Which is the seat 

of government, and what is said of it ? What canal is mentioned, and 

what is said of it ? What is said of education ? 



CHAPTER XXII. 

NEW-YORK. 

The mouth of Hudson River was discovered in 1607 
by Henry Hudson, a Dutch navigator. The next year 
the Dutch sent ships to the river, and established a trade 
there with the Indians. In 1614, they built Fort Am- 
sterdam, where the city of New- York now stands ; they 
called the village which grew up around it New- Amster- 
dam. The country in general was known bv the name 
of the New-Netherlands. In 1623, the Dutch sailed up 
the river and built Fort Orange, where is now the city 
of Albany. These establishments were rather places of 
trade than regular colonies, but in 1629 a Dutch colony, 
undergo vernor Van Twiller, arrived at New- Amsterdam, 
and at this time began the first permanent settlement of 
the Dutch. The colony gradually increased, till in 1664 
the Dutch settlements in America were conquered by 
the English, and granted by the King of England to his 
brother the Duke of York'. From him both New- Am- 
sterdam and the New-Netherlands received the name of 



80 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

New- York. The country now began to be settled by the 
English, yet the population advanced but slowly ; and till 
after the revolution, the settlements were confined to the 
vicinity of the Hudson. Since the revolution, the western 
part of the state has been settled with wonderful rapidity, 
and in a great measure by emigrants from New-England. 
New- York is at present, in point of population and wealth, 
the first of the states. 

The area of New- York is forty-six thousand square 
miles; it is divided into fifty-six counties; and has a po- 
pulation of two millions. 

The principal river of New- York is the Hudson, but 
beside this there are several others of importance. The 
Mohawk is a branch of the Hudson, and falls into it a 
little above Albany. The Gennesee, Oswego, and Black 
Rivers, run into Lake Ontario. The St. Lawrence forms 
a part of the north-eastern boundary of the state, and the 
southern parts are watered by the upper branches of the 
Delaware, the Susquehanna, and the Allegany- Lakes 
Ontario and Erie lie between New-York and Canada; 
Lake Champlain separates New- York from Vermont ; 
and wholly within New- York are Lake George, Oneida, 
Cayuga, and Seneca Lakes, as well as many others. All 
these are beautiful sheets of water. 

The surface of this state is much diversified. The east- 
ern part has some level tracts, but in general it is hilly and 
mountainous. The western part is mostly level or mode- 
rately uneven, except towards the southern border, where 
it becomes hilly and broken. The greater part of the 
state has a good soil ; a considerable portion, particularly 
the level tracts in the west, is remarkably fertile. Wheat 
is principally cultivated ; but the other kinds of grain, and 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 81 

also the grasses, succeed well. Much of the state is well 
adapted to grazing. Considerable tracts of land in the 
western and northern parts yet remain in a wild state. 

Iron ore, limestone, and marble,* abound ; and in se- 
veral of die western counties are valuable salt springs, 
from which large quantities of salt are manufactured. 
The mineral waters of Saratoga and Ballston are famous 
for their medicinal virtues 5 they are the most celebrated 
springs of the kind in America, and are visited every 
summer by multitudes from all parts of the United States, 
in pursuit of health or pleasure. 

The Erie and Champlain canals contribute much to 
the prosperity of New-York. The Erie canal extends 
from the Hudson to Lake Erie, a distance of three hun- 
dred and sixty miles. It has eighty-one locks, chiefly 
of stone, by which the ascents and descents are passed. 
The country through which the canal passes is very fer- 
tile ; and its trade, population, and agriculture, have 
increased rapidly since the canal was undertaken. The 
Champlain canal, sixty-four miles in length, unites the 
Hudson with Lake Champlain. The Oswego canal, 
thirty-eight miles long, unites the Erie canal to Lake 
Ontario ; and the Seneca canal, twenty miles in length, 
unites Seneca and Cayuga Lakes with the Erie canal. 
In the south-eastern part of the state, the Delaware and 
Hudson canal, sixty-four miles long, forms a connexion 
between the rivers Hudson and Delaware. f 

The city of New- York is the capital of the state, and 
in point of population, wealth, and commerce, by far the 
first city in the United States. Its population is over 

* Marble is only a fine kind of limestone, capable of taking a polish. 
+ All these canals have been undertaken and completed within a fevr 
■rears. 

h2 



82 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



two hundred thousand, and its commerce is very exten- 
sive. New- York is situated near the mouth of the Hud- 
son, on the southern part of Manhattan Island. This 
island, fourteen miles long, and from half a mile to two 
miles wide, is separated from the main land on one side 
by the Hudson, and on the other by a channel commu- 
nicating with Long-Island Sound, called the East River. 
The harbour of New-York is a capacious bay, contain- 
ing several islands ; it is well fortified, and communicates 
with Long-Island Sound and Newark Bay, as well as 
with the Atlantic. 

Many of the streets of the city near the water are 
crooked and narrow ; but those recently laid out are 
straight and spacious. The principal street is Broadway, 
which runs through the centre of the city, over the most 
elevated ground, and nearly equi-distant from the two 




CITY HALL. 



rivers ; it is three miles long, and generally well built, 
part of it is splendid. The Battery is a beautiful public 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 83 

walk at the southern extremity of the island, containing se- 
veral acres. The public buildings of New- York are very 
elegant. The City Hall, built of white marble, has been 
thought the most magnificent building in the United States. 

One hundred and sixty miles north of New-York, near 
the head of tide waters on the Hudson, is the city of Al- 
bany. This is the seat of government, and is a place of 
great trade ; for it is here that the Erie and Champlain 
Canals join the Hudson. The population is over twenty- 
four thousand. 

Utica, on the canal, near the centre of the state, ninety- 
three miles west of Albany, is the third town in respect 
to population and commercial importance. This fine 
town, which contains eight thousand inhabitants, has grown 
up with remarkable rapidity. The same may be said of 
Rochester and Buffalo, both also on the canal. It would 
be a task to enumerate all the beautiful and flourishing 
towns in this state. It will suffice to mention, Hudson 
at the head of ship navigation, and Troy at the head of 
sloop navigation, on Hudson River ; Ithaca on Cayuga 
Lake, Geneva on Seneca Lake, Can-an-dai-gua on 
Lake Canandaigua, Plattsburg an important harbour on 
Lake Champlain, and Sacket's Hai'bour on Lake Ontario. 

Long-Island, by far the largest island in the United 
States, belongs to New- York. It is about one hundred 
and forty miles in length, and on an average ten miles 
in breadth. The south side of the island is flat land of 
a light sandy soil, bordered on the sea coast by large 
tracts of salt meadow. The soil, however, is well adapt- 
ed to to the cultivation of grain. The north side of the 
island is hilly ; it has a strong soil, and is productive in 
grain, hay, and fruits. The eastern end abounds with 



84 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

wood, and furnishes large supplies of this article for the 
New-York market. Brooklyn near the western end, 
and Sag Harbour near the eastern end, are the principal 
towns. 

New-York has a large school fund ; and schools are 
well supported throughout the state. There are nume- 
rous academies and four colleges, viz. Columbia College 
in the city of New-York ; Union College at Schenectady, 
which is the most flourishing ; Hamilton College at Clin- 
ton, near Utica ; and Geneva College at Geneva. The 
United States have an important school for military in- 
struction at West Point, on the Hudson. 

The state of New-York has produced many able and 
celebrated men. 

When and by whom was the mouth of the Hudson discovered? 

When did the Dutch form an establishment there ? 

When and where was fort Amsterdam built 1 

What was the village around it called ? 

When and where was Fort Orancre built ? 

What was the country called ? 

What is said of these establishments ? 

When was a regular colony established by the Dutcli ? 

Till what year did it remain in their hands ? 

By whom was New-Netherlands conquered ? 

To whom did the king of England grant the country, and what name was 

given to it ? 
What is said of the progress and extent of the settlements by the English 

previous to the revolution 1 
What of the settlements since ? By whom have they chiefly been made ? 
How does New-York now stand in point of wealth and population? 

What is the area of the state ? Number of inhabitants ? 
Principal rivers ? Lakes ? 
What is said of the surface of the state 1 Of the soil ? What is said of 

the productions ? Of iron ore ? Limestone and salt springs 1 Of 

mineral springs ? 
What is said of Erie and Champlain canals ? How long is Erie canal ? 

Chamolain 1 What other canals ? 
Give a description of the city of New-York. What is the population ? 
How far from New-York is Albany ? On what river ? 
What is said of it ? How many inhabitants ? 

Which way and how far is Utica from Albany ? What is said of it 1 
What other flourishing towns ? 
Give an account of Long Island. 
What and where its principal town ? 
What is said of schools, academies, and colleges ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 85 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

NEW-JERSEY. 

The first settlements in New-Jersey appear to have 
been made by the Dutch colonists established at the 
mouth of the Hudson. These settlements formed a part 
of the colony of New-Netherlands, and with the rest of 
that country were conquered in 1664 by the English. 
It was granted to the Duke of York, who conveyed it to 
Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. It now first 
received the name of New-Jersey, and began to be set- 
tled by the English. It passed through the hands of 
various proprietors, and in 1676 was divided into East- 
Jersey and West-Jersey. But in 1702, the two parts 
were united and erected into a distinct province, under 
the crown of England. It continued, however, till 1738, 
to have the same governor with New- York. 

The area of New-Jersey is about eight thousand square 
miles ; it is divided into fourteen counties and one hun- 
dred and sixteen townships, and has a population of 
three hundred and seventeen thousand. 

The Delaware River forms the whole of its western, 
and the Hudson part of its eastern boundary. The 
northern part of the state is a fine hilly country; the 
southern half is low, level, and sandy ; much of it is un- 
fruitful, producing only shrub oaks and yellow pine. 
The northern part has a large proportion of good soil, 
excellent for grazing, and well adapted to the cultivation 
of wheat and other grains. Great numbers of cattle are 
raised in the mountainous parts for the markets of New- 
York and Philadelphia. Owing, in a great measure, to 



86 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

the difference of elevation, there is much diversity of 
climate in New-Jersey. The southern counties have a 
climate resembling that of eastern Virginia. The seasons 
in the northern counties resemble those of New-Hamp- 
shire and Vermont. These counties abound in iron ore, 
which is extensively manufactured. 

The largest town is Newark, on the River Passaic, 
nine miles from New- York. It is a pleasant and hand- 
some town, having extensive manufactures and a popu- 
lation of more than twelve thousand. New-Brunswick, 
on the Raritan, has considerable commerce. 

Trenton, on the Delaware, at the head of tide water, 
thirty miles north-east of Philadelphia, is the seat of 
government. It is a pleasant town, with a population of 
four thousand inhabitants. 

New-Jersey is largely engaged in commerce, manu- 
factures, and the fisheries. The Morris Canal, which is 
now in progress, is to extend from the River Delaware 
across the state to the harbour of New- York. 

At Princeton is the College of New-Jersey, one of 
the most respectable institutions in the United States. 
At the same place is a flourishing Theological Seminary. 
At New-Brunswick is Rutgers College. 



Who appear to have made the first settlements in New-Jersey ? Of what 
colony did these settlements form a part ? 

When did they fall into the hands of the English ? 

What disposition was afterwards made of the territory of New-Jersey ? 
When did it become a colony under the king of England 1 

What is the area of the state 1 How many counties ? Townships ? In- 
habitants ? 

Between what rivers is New-Jersey 1 

What is said of the face of the country 1 Of the soil ? Productions 1 Of 
the climate ? 

What ore is found in the mountainous parts ? 

What is said of Newark, Brnnswick, and Trenton ? 

What lines of business are largely followed ? 

What canal in the state ? What institutions of learning ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 87 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Several scattering settlements along the banks of the 
Delaware, within the present limits of Pennsylvania, had 
been made at various times by parties of English, Dutch, 
and Swedes ; but the first permanent colony was estab- 
lished as late as 1682 by the celebrated William Penn. 
He belonged to the religious denomination called Friends 
or Quakers, and was the son of an English Admiral, who 
had rendered very important services to the king of 
England. It was on account of these services that Penn 
received from the king a grant of the territory of Penn- 
sylvania. In 1682, he arrived in the country with a 
colony of Friends, laid the foundation of Philadelphia, 
and published a frame of government for the province. 
Penn managed affairs with great prudence and ability. 
By justice and kindness he conciliated the Indians; and 
he invited settlers from all parts, by allowing universal 
freedom of religious opinion. Pennsylvania had a very 
rapid growth ; the government of the colony remained in 
the hands of the Penn family till the revolution. 

The area of Pennsylvania is forty-seven thousand 
square miles. It is divided into fifty-one counties, and 
has a population of over one million three hundred and 
fifty thousand. 

The principal rivers are the Delaware, forming the 
eastern boundary, the Susquehanna and its branches, and 
the Allegany and Monongahela, which unite and form 
the Ohio. 



88 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

As regards surface and population, Pennsylvania may 
be divided into three portions. East Pennsylvania, in- 
cluding about eight thousand square miles, is a fine hilly 
country. No part of the United States is more beauti- 
ful, better cultivated, or more populous. Middle Penn- 
sylvania, embracing rather more than half the state, is 
mountainous and thinly inhabited. West Pennsylvania 
is a fine country, diversified with hills and valleys ; its 
population is not yet great, but is rapidly increasing. 
Throughout the state there is a large proportion of good 
soil. The mountainous ridges are barren, but some of 
the most fertile land is found in the valleys between them. 
The greater part of the population is spread over the 
eastern, western, and southern borders, while the central 
and northern parts are as yet comparatively wild. 

The soil and climate of Pennsylvania are extremely 
favourable to wheat, grass, the apple and other fruits. 
In the central parts are extensive and valuable forests. 
The eastern ridges of the mountains abound with beauti- 
ful marble, as well as with immense beds of anthracite 
coal.* Bituminous coal is equally abundant in the 
western parts of the state ; here also are numerous and 
valuable salt springs, from which great quantities of salt 
are manufactured. Iron ore of excellent quality is found 
throughout the whole state. 

Philadelphia, built on an isthmus between the Dela- 
ware and Schuylkill rivers, about six miles above their 
junction, is the metropolis of Pennsylvania, and the se- 
cond city in size in the United States. By the course of 
the Delaware River and Bay, it is more than an hundred 

* Anthracite coal kindles with difficulty, and burns without smoke. 
Bituminous coal contains sulphur 5 it kindles with ease, and burns with 
much smoke and flame. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



89 



miles from the sea ; the navigation of the bay is rather 
difficult, but this does not prevent Philadelphia from car- 
rying on a very extensive commerce. It is the third 
commercial city in the Union. Philadelphia is laid out 
with great regularity, the streets crossing each other at 
right angles ; they are wide, neat, and well-paved. The 
houses are built mostly of brick, without much ornament, 
but presenting an appearance of convenience, comfort, 




View of Philadelphia. 

and opulence. Several of the public buildings are very 
elegant. Philadelphia surpasses every other city in Ame- 
rica in the variety, extent, and excellence of its manu- 
factures. Its population is about one hundred and seventy 
thousand. 

Harrisburg, on the Susquehanna, one hundred miles 
west of Philadelphia, is the seat of government. This is 
a flourishing town, of over four thousand inhabitants. 

Pittsburgh, built at the junction of the Allegany and 
Monongahela, is the capital of West Pennsylvania, and 
i 



90 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

the second town in the state. The country around it 
abounds in coal and iron ore. It has an extensive tra'de 
down the Ohio and across the mountains, but is chiefly- 
celebrated for its iron manufactures. The town is black 
with the smoke of the furnaces. Pittsburgh has grown 
up rapidly ; its population is about seventeen thousand. 

Lancaster, sixty-two miles west of Philadelphia, situ- 
ated in a pleasant and well-cultivated country, is a place 
of much wealth and business. The other principal towns 
are Reading, Easton, York, and Carlisle. 

The public works of Pennsylvania are very extensive. 
The Schuylkill Canal opens a communication between 
Philadelphia and the extensive coal mines at the sources 
of the River Schuylkill, a distance of one hundred and 
ten miles. The Union Canal, seventy-six miles long, 
unites the Schuylkill with the Susquehanna. The Le- 
high River, from' Easton to the Lehigh coal mines, has 
been made navigable, at a great expense, by means of 
dams and locks ; and a canal down the Delaware, from 
Easton to Bristol, a distance of fifty miles, is now in pro- 
gress. Several other canals and rail-roads have been 
commenced. 

Education has hitherto been much neglected in this 
state, but it is beginning to attract attention. At Phila- 
delphia is the most celebrated school in the United 
States* The colleges are Dickinson's College at Carlisle, 
Washington College at Washington, Jefferson's College 
at Cannonsburgh, Allegany College at Meadville, and 
Mount Airy College at Germantown. 

When and by whom was the first permanent settlement made in Pennsyl- 
vania ? To what religious denomination did he belong ? What is said 
of his character 1 Of his conduct towards the Indians 1 Of the growth 
of the colony 1 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES! 91 

Till what period did the government of the colony remain in the Penn 

family 1 
How large is the surface of Pennsylvania 1 Into how many counties is it 

divided 1 
What is the number of people 1 
What are the principal rivers ? 
As regards surface and population, how may the state be divided ? What 

is said of each portion 1 
In what part of the state are most of the people ? 
What is said of the climate and soil? Of marble, coal, salt springs, and 

iron ore 1 
What is said of Philadelphia 1 How far is it from the sea ? How is the 

city laid out, and what is its general appearance ? What is said of its 

public buildings and its manufactures ? What is its population 1 
What is said of Harrisburg ? 
Where is Pittsburgh, and for what celebrated 1 
What is said of Lancaster 1 What other principal towns ? 
What is said of the public works ? 
How long is Schuylkill Canal 1 Union Canal ? What other canal in 

progress ? 
What is said of education ? Of the medical school at Philadelphia 1 
What colleges in the state ? 



CHAPTER XXV. 

DELAWARE. 

The first settlement in Delaware was made by people 
from Sweden and Finland in Europe. They established 
a colony on the south shore of Delaware Bay as early as 
1627. But the country was claimed by the Dutch as a 
part of their colony of New-Netherlands; and in 1655 
they captured the Swedish settlements, and dispersed the 
colonists. In 1664, the New-Netherlands, as has been 
already stated, were conquered by the English, and 
granted to the Duke of York. In 1692, the Duke of 
York sold the territory which now makes the state of 
Delaware, to William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. 
Till this time it had remained almost entirely unpeopled : 
but now it began to be settled by English emigrants. 
Delaware remained united with Pennsylvania till 1703, 



92 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

when it was separated, and made a colony by itself. It 
continued under the government of the Penn family till 
the revolution. 

After Rhodeflsland, Delaware is the smallest of the 
states. The area is two thousand one hundred square 
miles ; it is divided into three counties, and has seventy- 
seven thousand inhabitants. The northern part of the 
state is hilly, the southern part is a low plain. The soil 
is good in some places, but generally thin, and in many 

places marshy. The products are chiefly grain and grass. 
Dover is the seat of government, but Wilmington is 

the largest town. Here are a population of about seven 

thousand, and a considerable trade and manufactures. 

On the Brandy wine, in the vicinity, is the finest collection 

of flour mills in the United States. 

Newcastle, fifteen miles below Wilmington, has some 

trade. At Lewiston, near the entrance of the bay, are 

extensive salt works, where salt is manufactured from 

sea water. 

The Delaware and Chesapeake Canal, thirteen miles 

in length, and uniting the river Delaware to Chesapeake. 

Bay, crosses the northern part of the state. 

When and by whom was the first settlemert made in Delaware 1 Who 

afterwards took possession of the colony, and dispersed the people ? 

When did this take place ? 
When was this country conquered by the English and granted to the Duke 

of York, the King's brother ? 
When and to whom did the Duke of York sell the territory of Delaware ? 

By whom was it now settled ? 
How leng did the government remain in the Penn family 1 
What is said of the size of this state ? Of the face of the country, soil, and 

productions 1 
What is said of Dover ? Wilmington ? 
What remarkable on the Brandywine 1 

What is said of .Newcastle 1 Lewiston ? Of the Delaware and Chesapeake 
Canal ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 93 

CHAPTER XXVL 

SOUTH-CAROLINA. 

South-Carolina became a province by itself in 1729 ; 
its previous history has already been noticed in the chap- 
ter of North-Carolina. 

South-Carolina has an area of about thirty thousand 
square miles ; it is divided into thirty counties, and its 
population is about five hundred and eighty thousand, 
more than half of whom are slaves. It is watered by the 
Pedee, Santee, Edisto, Savannah, and other rivers, and 
like the other southern states, it may be divided, as re- 
spects its surface and population, into three divisions — 
the plain, the hilly, ^nd the mountainous. In this state 
the divisions are nearly equal in extent. The plain coun- 
try, though not generally fertile except on the banks of 
rivers, is most populous. 

In the low country, the slaves are more than twice as 
numerous as the whites ; in the hilly country, the w T hites 
and blacks are about equal in number ; among the moun- 
tains, the whites are twice as numerous as the slaves. 

The crops cultivated in this state are rice, cotton, and 
grain. Rice is confined to the sea shore ; cotton is the 
principal crop. The southern counties admit the culti- 
vation of the sugar cane, the fig, and the orange. The 
exports of South- Carolina exceed in value those of any 
other southern Atlantic state. 

The largest city of South-Carolina, and indeed of all 
the southern Atlantic states, is Charleston. It is built on 
a peninsula between Ashley and Cooper Rivers, which 
unite just below the city, and form a convenient and spa- 

i2 



94 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

cious harbour. Though not capable of admitting the 
'largest vessels, it is the best harbour on the Atlantic coast 
south of the Chesapeake. The city is regularly laid out 
in parallel streets, which are intersected by others nearly 
at right angles. The houses have piazzas, and many of 
them are elegant. It is the favourite resort of the rich 
planters, and affords much agreeable society. It is rec- 
koned one of the gayest towns in the United States. It 
has an extensive trade ; its population is over thirty thou- 
sand. A canal, twenty-two miles long, connects the 
Santee with Cooper River, and through this river with 
the harbour of Charleston ; and a rail-road from Charles- 
ton to Augusta in the state of Georgia, is in progress. 

Columbia, near the centre of the state, on a branch of 
the Santee, is the seat of government. It is a flourishing 
town, regularly laid out, and handsomely built. 

The other towns are small. The largest are George- 
town, near the mouth of the Santee, Camden, on one of 
its branches, and Beaufort, in the south-east corner of 
the 'state. 

South-Carolina appropriates an annual fund to the sup- 
port of schools, and has afforded liberal assistance to the 
South-Carolina College at Columbia, which is a well-en- 
dowed and nourishing institution. There is also a col- 
lege at Charleston. 

South-Carolina has furnished many men distinguished 
for talents and worth, and for their influence in public life. 

When did South-Carolina become a separate province ? 

What is the area of South-Carolina? Into how many counties is it divided ? 

What is the population ; and what proportion are slaves ? 

By what rivers is South-Carolina watered ? 

How may it be divided as respects surface and population ? Which divi- 
sion is the most populous 1 

What proportion of slaves in the low country 1 What in the hilly 1 What 
in the mountainous ? 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 95 

What are the crops cultivated in South-Carolina 1 Which is the most im- 
portant ? 

What is said of exports 1 

What is said of Charleston ? Of its situation, harbour, and commerce ? 

What is the seat of government, and where situated ? What other consi- 
derable towns 1 

What is said concerning schools and colleges 1 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

GEORGIA. 

Georgia w#s the last colony planted by the English 
in what are now the United States. It was granted in 
1732 to Gen. Oglethorpe and others; the next year 
Savannah was settled by a colony from England. The 
objects proposed in the settlement of Georgia, were to 
protect the British dominions from the encroachments of 
the Spaniards of Florida and the French of Louisiana, to 
open an asylum for the poor of Great Britain, and to 
attempt the conversion and civilization of the Indians. 
In this last design little progress was made ; on the con- 
trary, the colony was much harassed, and its growth for 
a long time hindered, by frequent Indian wars. Within 
the last thirty or forty years, however, the progress of 
Georgia in wealth and population has been very rapid. 

The area of Georgia is sixty-one thousand square 
miles. It is divided into seventy-four counties, and has 
a population of five hundred and eighteen thousand, two 
hundred and twenty thousand of whom are slaves. 

It is watered by the Savannah, O-ge-chee, Alatama- 
ha,* Flint River, and Cha-ta-hoo-chee, and their branch- 
es. The Aiatamaha is much the largest. 

As regards both soil and climate, Georgia is more di- 
versified than any other of the states. The south-eastern 

*Al-ta-ma-haw. 



96 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

part rises by a very slow ascent from the Atlantic, be- 
ginning with a series of low islands. This is followed by 
a sandy tract of a little greater elevation, reaching to the 
falls of the rivers ; then succeeds a hilly, and at length 
a mountainous country, w T hich is more extensive, fertile, 
and healthy, than either of the other divisions. 

The soil of Georgia, as already said, is very various, 
but a large proportion of it is extremely productive. 
The islands of the coast are famous for producing a va- 
luable kind of cotton, called sea^island cotton. The ri- 
vers and creeks are every where bordered with swamps 
or marshes, which for fifteen or twenty miles from 
the coast, are wholly or partially overflowed at every 
tide. These constitute the rice plantations. The middle 
division is very barren, producing little besides pitch pines. 
Among the mountains at the north, the apple, wheat, and 
other grains are cultivated ; and along the sea-shore and 
for some distance inland, the sweet orange and sugar 
cane flourish well. The chief products of the state are 
cotton, rice, tobacco, and sugar. 

Savannah, on the Savannah River seventeen miles 
from its mouth, is the largest town- it has an extensive 
commerce, and a population of seve thousand. 

Augusta, on the same river, three hundred and forty 
miles by water from Savannah, and one hundred and 
twenty-three by land, is a flourishing town. Great quan- 
tities of cotton, tobacco, and other produce, are collected 
here, and conveyed down the river to Savannah. The 
population is four thousand. 

The seat of government is Milledgeville, on the Oconee, 
about three hundred miles by the river from the sea. It 
is near the centre of the state, on the borders of the plain 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 97 

and hilly country, and has a handsome State-House, 
Among the other principal towns are Darien and St. 
Mary's, which are seaports in the south-east corner of 
the state. 

The Creek Indians inhabit the west part of the state ; 
the north-western part is possessed by the Cherokees. 

Only a small provision is made in this state for public 
schools. Education is much neglected. There is a 
college called Franklin College at Athens, in the northern 
part of the state. 

When and to whom was Georgia granted ? 

When and where was the first settlement 1 

What objects were proposed in the settlement of Georgia 1 

What hindered the growth of the colony 1 

What is said of the growth of the state within thirty or forty years ? 

How large is Georgia ? How many counties ? How many inhabitants ? 

How many of them are slaves ? 
By what rivers is Georgia watered ? 
What is said of its soil and climate ? 
What is the principal product of the islands ? 
Where are the rice plantations situated 1 

What is said of the middle division of the state ? Of the mountainous 1 
What are the principal products of Georgia 1 
What is said of Savannah ? What other important town on the Savannah 

River, and what is said of it 1 
What is the seat of government, and where is it situated? What other 

towns 1 
What important tribes of Indians hold a part of Georgia, and where are 

they situated ? 
What is said of education in Georgia ? 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

REFLECTIONS AND REMARKS. 



Sketches of the origin, progress, geographical features, 
and present condition of each of the thirteen original states, 
have now been given. By looking out the states, as laid 
down on the map, and in the order of their settlement, 
and by consideriug their primitive weakness as well as 



98 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

disconnected situation from each other, some idea may 
be formed of the perils and discouragements which our 
fathers endured in laying the foundations of this great 
Republic. Casting our thoughts backward, and contem- 
plating the state of the country two hundred years ago, 
we see the whole territory of the thirteen states one 
continued wilderness, without a single opening made by 
civilized men, except a few inconsiderable spots in Vir- 
ginia, New- York, and New-England. The whole num- 
ber of people in all these settlements put together, did 
not at that time exceed, it is probable, four or five thou- 
sand. These feeble and scattered settlements were sur- 
rounded by Indian tribes numerous and powerful, and 
many of them implacably hostile to the new comers. The 
colony of Virginia had already been scourged by deso- 
lating wars with the Indians; the Dutch people, then at 
Fort Amsterdam, were unfriendly to the English settlers ; 
and all were apparently and imminently exposed to ex- 
termination from Indian hostility. 

But through the care of a superintending Providence, 
these feeble colonies were sustained and preserved. Other 
colonies were planted from time to time, by their own 
people, and by further emigrations from England and 
Europe, until the number amounted to thirteen. Georgia 
was commenced about a hundred and twenty years after 
Virginia. Within this period the other colonies, formed 
at different times, had made different degreess of improve- 
ment in wealth and numbers. Whatever progress they 
had made, however, had been made in defiance of dan- 
ger and difficulty. Much blood and much treasure was 
expended, previous to the revolution, in defence against 
the Indians, who in general became more hostile as the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 99 

colonies advanced. This indeed was natural; for as the 
colonies increased in number and magnitude, the Indians 
became more and more alarmed for their own situation. 
They became more and more convinced, that their coun- 
try was in danger of being wholly taken from them, and 
they themselves in danger of being driven off and de- 
stroyed. Of course, they became more and more hostile 
and desperate, and by frequent wars hastened, instead 
of retarding, their own destruction. 

Indian hostilities were very much excited and encou- 
raged from time to time by the French people settled in 
Canada. The French nation was jealous and envious of 
the rising importance of the British colonies in America ; 
and made every possible exertion to retard their growth 
and limit their territory. The great object of the French 
was to prevent British settlements from extending beyond 
the Allegany Mountains. They built a fort at the place 
now T called Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, and their intention 
was to erect and maintain a line of forts, extending from 
their own settlements in Canada to those in Louisiana. 
By means of these forts and the aid of the Indians, they 
hoped to put an effectual stop to the progress of British 
or English settlements toward the west. By looking at 
the map it will be seen, that if the purpose of the French 
in this respect had been carried into operation, the terri- 
tory of the United States would have been very incon- 
siderable, compared with its present extent. 

At the commencement of the revolutionary war, the 
population of all the colonies was estimated at three mil- 
lions ; but this estimate was high. The number of white 
people, it is probable, did not much exceed two millions 
and a half; and the colonies presented the aspect of a 



100 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

number of small openings scattered along the maratime 
border of a vast wilderness. 

Since the thirteen colonies declared themselves to be 
free and independent states, their growth in population 
and wealth has been amazingly rapid. Notwithstanding 
the large and flourishing new states they have formed, 
their own population is nearly three times as great as it 
was at the close of the revolution ; and their improve- 
ments in agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, have 
probably exceeded, by many degrees, the most sanguine 
expectations of those who signed the Declaration of In- 
dependence. 

What was the state of the country, now the United States, two hundred 
years ago ? What was the number of the original colonies 1 

What is said of the Indian hostilities ? What designs were entertained 
by the French ? What was the state of the colonies at the beginning 
of the revolutionary war ? What their progress since 1 



CPAPTER XXIX. 

VERMONT. 

Vermont was the first state admitted into the Union 
after the declaration of independence by the United 
States. The first settlement of white men in this state 
was at Fort Dummer on Connecticut River, built by the 
people of Massachusetts as a protection against the In- 
dians.* This fort was built in 1724. Sometime after- 
ward the French sailed down lake Champlain, and made 
several scattering settlements on its eastern shore. Ver- 
mont, however, remained in a great measure unsettled 
till after the conquest of Canada by the British in 1760, 
when it began to be rapidly peopled by emigrants from 

* This fort was in the south-east corner of the state. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 101 

New-England. These settlers obtained grants of the 
land from the Governor of New-Hampshire, and the 
country was called the New-Hampshire grants. New- 
York, however, claimed the territory as being within her 
limits ; and the question having been referred to the King 
of Great Britain, he decided in favour of New- York. 
The governors of New- York then declared the grants of 
New-Hampshire to be void, and endeavoured to compel 
the settlers to purchase their lands anew. This the set- 
tlers refused to do ; and the dispute growing by degrees 
warmer and warmer, in 1777 they declared themselves 
independent of New- York, and formed a distinct govern- 
ment of their own. In the mean time the revolutionary 
war had begun. Vermont bore her full share in this war, 
though through the influence of New- York she was re- 
fused admittance into the confederacy, and was not even 
acknowledged as a separate state. But at last, New- York- 
finding it impossible to maintain her claims, the dispute 
was settled, and the independence of Vermont acknow- 
ledged. In 1791, she was admitted into the Union. 

The area of Vermont is nine thousand four hundred 
square miles ; it is divided into thirteen counties, which 
are subdivided into towns ; its population is two hundred 
and eighty thousand. After the Connecticut, the principal 
rivers are the Mis-sisque, La Moile, Un-ion River, and 
Otter Creek, running westerly into Lake Champlain. 
The Green Mountains extend through the state from north 
to south, and the land slopes down from these mountains 
on one side to the Connecticut, and on the other to the 
lake. The central parts are very high, and the surface 
of the state in general is hilly, though not rocky. A 
large proportion of the soil is fertile ; much of the land 
k 



102 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

among the mountains is excellent for grazing. The pro- 
ductions are similar to those of Massachusetts, except 
that Vermont is much more favourable to wheat. This 
state abounds with copperas and with iron ore. The Ver- 
mont iron is said to have some remarkable good qualities. 
There is a great abundance of marble and some lead. 

Vermont has no large towns. The seat of government 
is Montpelier, near the centre of the state. Burlington, 
on Lake Champlain, and Middlebury, on Otter Creek, 
are flourishing towns, with extensive manufactures and 
considerable trade. The same may be said of Windsor 
and Brattleborough, on Connecticut River. 

The trade and general prosperity of Vermont has been 
greatly increased bv the construction of the Champlain 
Canal, which provides an outlet for the productions of 
all that part of the state which borders on the lake. 

Education is much attended to. Public schools are 
supported by law ; and there are many academies and 
private schools. Middlebury College, at Middlebury, is 
respectable and flourishing; at Burlington is an institution 
called the University of Vermont, including a respectable 
medical department. 

When and where was the first settlement in Vermont made by white 
men ? By whom was it made ? What early settlements on Lake Cham- 
plain 1 

What event opened Vermont to settlement by New-England people ? 

By whom was the land granted? 

By what name was the country known 1 

What difficulties took place ? How and by whom were they decided ? 

What influenced the people of Vermont to declare themselves indepen- 
dent ? When did they do it ? 

What part did they take in the revolutionary war ? 

When was Vermont admitted into the Union ? 

How large is Vermont 1 

How many counties, and how are they subdivided ? 

How many inhabitants ? What principal rivers 1 Mountains ? Charac- 
ter of the soil ? Productions 1 

What is said of towns ? Where is the seat of government ? 

What other towns, and for what distinguished ? 

What is said of education 1 What colleges in Vermont 1 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 103 



CHAPTER XXX, 

KENTUCKY. 

The country now included in the state of Kentucky 
was first explored in 1767, by John Finley, of North- 
Carolina. It was afterward visited by the celebrated 
Daniel Boone, and the first settlement in Kentucky was 
begun under his guidance in 1773. For several years 




Col. Boone on the bank of the great Osage Lake. 

the settlers were harassed by bloody wars with the Indi- 
ans, who maintained their ground with obstinacy. Ken- 
tucky was claimed by Virginia as within the limits of her 
charter ; the land was granted, and the first settlements 
made, under her authority. She gave her consent, how- 
ever, to a separation, whenever the inhabitants should 
desire it. This separation took place in 1790; and in 
1792, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as an inde- 
pendent state. 



104 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The area of Kentucky is thirty-six thousand square 
miles. It is divided into eighty-two counties, and has a 
population of near seven hundred thousand, of w T hora one 
hundred and sixty-five thousand are slaves. 

After the Ohio and Missisippi, the principal rivers of 
the state are the Great Sandy River, Licking, Kentucky, 
and Green Rivers, all four of which run into the Ohio. 
The southern borders are»watered by the Cumberland; 
the Tennessee crosses the south-east corner.* 

The south-eastern part of the state is mountainous, the 
central and south-western parts are comparatively level. 
The country along the Ohio is hilly. The soil is various, 
but the greater part of it is extremely fertile. Wheat, 
tobacco, and hemp, are the chief productions. The 
northern parts of the state are the most populous and pro- 
ductive. Marble is abundant, iron ore is found, and 
there are numerous and valuable salt springs, from which 
great quantities of salt are manufactured. The inhabi- 
tants, in many places, suffer inconvenience from the scar- 
city of water. 

The seat of government is Frankfort, on the Kentucky 
River. Lexington, on the Elkhorn, is handsomely built, 
chiefly of brick, and is one of the largest manufacturing 
towns in the western states. Th^ country around is le- 
vel, fertile, and much admired for its beautiful scenery. 
The population is over five thousand. The second town 
in the state is Louisville, on the Ohio, which has an ex- 
tensive commerce, and a population over twelve thou- 
sand The third town is Maysville, on the Ohio ; it has 
a population of four thousand, and considerable trade 
and manufactures. There are various other flourishing 
villages, but none very large. The exports of Ken- 
tucky are chiefly carried by water to New-Orleans. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 105 

Lands have been appropriated by the state for the 
support of schools; but these appropriations have not 
always been judiciously managed. Transylvania Univer- 
sity, at Lexington, is the most extensive and nourishing 
nstitution of the kind in the western states. It has a 
Law and a Medical School connected with it. Central 
College is at Danville, and St. Joseph's College at 
Bairdstown. 



When and by whom was the first settlement made in Kentucky 1 

By what state was the territory claimed ? When did it become a member 
of the Union ? 

How large is the area of Kentucky ? Into how many counties is it di- 
vided ? 

What is the amount of population ? How many slaves 1 

What are the principal rivers ? 

What is said of the face of the country ? Of the soil 1 Of productions ? 
Of ore ? Salt springs and climate '? 

What town is the seat of government, and where is it situated ? 

Which is the largest town, and what is said of it and the country around 
it? 

What other considerable towns ? 

To what places are the exports of the state carried 1 

What is said in relation to schools and colleges 1 

What part of the state is most populous ? 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

TENNESSEE. 

Tennessee was within the original limits of North- 
Carolina, and was first settled by emigrants from that 
province. Fort Loudon was built in 1757, but the first 
permanent settlements were made in 1768 and 1769. 
These settlements were for a long time much harassed 
by wars with the Indians. When the Indian wars ceased, 
the country was distracted for several years by disputes 
among the settlers ; and several attempts were made by 
k2 



106 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

them to form an independent state by the name of Frank- 
land. But in 1790, North-Carolina ceded the whole 
country to the United States, and the same year it was 
erected into an organized territory. In 1796 it was 
made a state, and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Tennessee is forty-three thousand square 
miles. It is divided into sixty-two counties, and has a 
population of near seven hundred thousand, of which one 
hundred and forty thousand are slaves. Besides the 
Missisippi, the principal rivers are the Cumberland and 
Tennessee ; in point of size the latter is not very much 
inferior to the Ohio, into which it runs. 

The state is divided by the Cumberland Mountains 
into two divisions, East-Tennessee and West-Tennessee. 
West-Tennessee is undulating ; some of it, especially to- 
wards the Missisippi, level, and some of it hilly. East- 
Tennessee is full of mountains ; many of them are lofty, and 
form grand and striking scenery. The soil is various ; in 
the western part of the state it is black, deep, and rich ; 
iu the middle are great quantities of excellent land ; in 
the eastern parts, the mountains are barren, but there are 
many fertile valleys. The great business of the state is 
agriculture ; the soil produces cotton and tobacco in great 
abundance, and these, together with flour and corn, are 
the staple commodities. Grain, grass, and fruit, succeed 
well ; and in East-Tennessee large herds of cattle are 
raised for the supply of the market on the Atlantic 
coast. 

Iron ore, gypsum,* saltpetre, and beautiful marbles, 
are abundant. Lead mines and salt springs are likewise 
found. 

* Gypsum is the same with Plaister of Paris. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 107 

A considerable tract in the south-eastern part of the 
state is held and occupied by the Cherokee Indians. 

Nashville, on the Cumberland, in the midst of a fertile 
and populous country, is the capital of the state. It has 
an extensive trade, and a population of more than five 
thousand. 

Knoxville, in East Tennessee, is the next town in point 
of population and trade. It has three thousand inhabi- 
tants. The other towns are small. 

There are colleges at Nashville, Knoxville, and Marys- 
ville. 



To what state or province did Tennessee originally belong 1 

When was Fort Loudon built ? When the first permanent settlements 

made ? By what were they hindered 1 
When was Tennessee ceded to the United States ? 
When was it admitted into the Union as an independent state 1 
How large is Tennessee 1 How many counties ? How many people ? 

How many slaves ? 
What are the principal rivers ? What mountains 1 

What is said of the face of the country ? Of the soil and productions ? 
Of cattle, ores, and minerals 1 Of principal towns and colleges 1 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

OHIO. 

The first permanent settlement within the present 
boundaries of Ohio was made at Marietta, in the year 
1788, by General Putnam and a company from Massa- 
chusetts. The increase of the settlements was for some 
time prevented by wars with the Indians ; but within the 
last thirty years, Ohio has increased in population and 
wealth with unexampled rapidity. A large number of its 
first inhabitants were emigrants from New-England. Till 
1802, Ohio formed a part of the north-western territory; 



108 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

in that year it was erected into a state, and admitted into 
the Union. 

The area of Ohio is forty thousand square miles ; it is 
divided into seventy-three counties, and has a population 
of nearly a million. The principal rivers are the Ohio, 
which forms the southern boundary, the Muskingum, 
Scioto, and two Miamies, running southerly through the 
state into the Ohio, and the Maumee running into lake 
Erie. This lake forms more than half the northern 
boundary. 

The central and northern parts of Ohio are generally 
level, and in some places marshy. The eastern and 
south-eastern parts are hilly. In this state extensive prai- 
ries are to be found. The soil is extremely fertile, es- 
pecially that of the country on the Miami and Scioto. 
Wheat is the staple production, but other sorts of grain, 
various kinds of fruit, grass, hemp, and flax, are exten- 
sively cultivated. 

Iron ore is found in great quantities ; coal, especially 
in the eastern part, is abundant ; and salt springs are 
numerous. 

The largest town in the state is Cincinnati, situated on 
the Ohio, and built partly on the river bottom and partly 
on the high bank. The streets ctjss each other at right 
angles; some of them are quite handsome. There are 
several fine public buildings, and a number of splendid 
dwelling-houses. Cincinnati is rising rapidly to be a great 
city. In 1810, its population was little more than two 
thousand ; it is now nearly thirty thousand. It has ex- 
tensive manufactures and a very extensive trade ; and in 
point of wealth, refinement, and social enjoyments, Is the 
metropolis of the Western States. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 109 

Miami Canal extends from Drayton to Cincinnati, a 
distance of sixty-seven miles. 

Columbus, on the Scioto, not far from the centre of the 
state, is the seat of government. It has a population of 
three thousand people, and extensive manufactures. 

The other principal towns are Chilicothe, on the Scio- 
to, Zainsville, on the Muskingum, Marietta, and Steuben- 
ville, on the Ohio. There are a great number of beau- 
tiful and nourishing villages scattered over the state, and 
new ones are springing up every year. 

The Ohio Canal, now in progress, is to extend across 
the state from Portsmouth, on the Ohio, to Cleveland, 
on Lake Erie, a distance of three hundred and twenty- 
miles. This is a great work, and very creditable to the 
enterprise of Ohio. 

Common schools are established in a greater or less 
degree of perfection in every township of any conse- 
quence in the state. Several colleges have been incor- 
porated ; the most flourishing are the Ohio University at 
Athens, and Kenyon College near Mount Vernon. 

When was the first settlement made in Ohio, and by whom ? 

What is said of the progress of settlement ? 

From what part of the United States did many of the first settlers go ? 

Of what was Ohio a part previous to its being formed into a state 1 When 
was it admitted into the Union 1 How large is it ? How many coun- 
ties 1 How many people ? 

How are the lands laid out 1 

What is said of rivers ? Of Lake Erie 1 Of the face of the country, soil, 
productions, ore, and minerals 1 

Which is the largest town, and what is said of it 1 What other towns 
and villages? 

What is said of canals, of common schools, and of colleges ? 



110 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

LOUISIANA. 

Louisiana, including all the extensive territory west 
of the Missisippi now belonging to the United States, was 
originally discovered and claimed by the French. The 
country was first explored by La Sable about 1CS0; he 
named it Louisiana in honour of Louis XIV. then King 
of France. The French, under Ibberville, began a 
settlement near the present site of New-Orleans in 1699. 
In 1762, the whole country was ceded to Spain; in 
1801, it was ceded back again to France ; and in 1803, 
sold by France to the United States. 

In 1 804, that part of it which now constitutes the state 
of Louisiana, was erected into a territory ; in 1812 it 
was made a state, and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Louisiana is forty-eight thousand square 
miles ; its population is two hundred and fifteen thousand. 
The blacks and whites are about equal in number. 

The state is watered by the Missisippi, Red River, 
Pearl River, the Wash-i-ta, and the Sabine. 

The entire front of Louisiana towards the Gulf of 
Mexico, is a continued marsh, in most places destitute of 
timber, traversed by innumerable water courses, and 
rising very gradually from the water's edge. To the 
north-west of this tract of marsh, and with an elevation 
only moderately greater, immense prairies extend, mark- 
ed in the neighbourhood of streams with lines of trees. 
Still farther inland are thick forests inundated every year 
by the overflowing of the Missisippi, except a narrow 
tract on the borders of the streams. The country, how- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. Ill 

ever, gradually rises to a height that protects it from 
inundation, till at length the surface becomes broken, 
hills succeed, and except near the water courses, the 
country is covered with immense pine forests. The 
Missisippi and all the smaller streams are bordered by a 
narrow strip, which is rarely inundated, and is extremely 
fertile. There is a great variety of soil in this state. 
There are large tracts that never can be cultivated ; and 
the existing settlements, except in the parishes east of the 
Missisippi, extends in lines along the streams, or around 
the margins of the prairies. 

The crops cultivate^ are sugar and rice in the south- 
ern parishes, and cotton throughout the state. Fruits are 
abundant. Apples may be cultivated in the northern 
parts, peaches, figs, and pomegranates, throughout the 
state, and the orange and lemon in the southern part 

The capital of Louisiana, and the largest city of the 
southern states, is New-Orleans. This city is situated 
on the east bank of the Missisippi, about one hundred 
miles from its mouth. It is regularly laid out ; the streets 
are wide, and cross each other at right angles. Most of 
the houses in the suburbs have beautiful gardens orna- 
mented with orange proves. The countrv here is lower 
than the surface of the river, which is confined within its 
channel by an artificial embankment called the Levee, 
raised at great expense, and extending above a hundred 
miles. It is directly in front of the town, serves the pur- 
poses of a landing-place, and affords a fine walk. New- 
Orleans is very advantageously situated for trade. Im- 
mense quantities of produce from the western states are 
brought down the Missisippi, and deposited here for ex- 

ortation. The increase of the city has been rapid and 



112 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

steady. The population is now about fifty thousand. It 
is made up of a medley of people from almost all coun- 
tries. Formerly the French language was generally 
spoken, but now the English prevails, New-Orleans 
often suffers severely from the yellow fever. 

The other principal towns are Nachitoches,* on Red 
River, and Baton Rouge and St. Francisville, on the 
Missisippi. 

There is a Catholic College at New-Orleans, and 
academies have been established in various places ; but 
education thus far has been very much neglected. 

Who discovered and claimed the territory w%st of the Missisippi 1 When 

was it explored 1 
When was the first settlement made 1 
In what year was the whole country ceded to Spain ? When ceded back 

again ? When purchased by the United States ? 
When was the state of Louisiana admitted into the Union 1 
What is the area of the state 1 The number of people 1 The relative 

proportions of whites and blacks ? 
What is said of rivers 1 Of that part of the state bordering on the Gulf of 

Mexico 1 Of the country farther inland 1 
What is said of the soil ? 
What crops are cultivated ? 
What important rivers in the state ? 

Where is New-Orleans, and what is said of its rise ; trade, and increase ? 
What other considerable towns ? 
What is said of education ? 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

INDIANA. 

The French, who were the first explorers of the 
Missisippi and its branches, made a settlement within the 
present boundaries of Indiana, at Vincennes, on the Wa- 
bash, as long ago as about 1700. This settlement, how- 
ever, always remained of very little consequence. f Set- 
tlements by the people of the United States began to be 

* Nak-e-tosh. 

t The settlers emigrated from Canada. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 113 

extensively formed after the peace with the Indians in 
1795. This region, including Illinois, was erected into a 
territory in 1801. Indiana was made a territory by itself 
in 1809 ; and in 1816 was made a state, and admitted 
into the Union. 

The area of Indiana is thirty-four thousand square 
miles, and it has near three hundred and fifty thousand 
inhabitants. The principal rivers are the Ohio, forming 
the southern boundary of the state, and the Wabash with 
its branches, White River, and East Fork. 

Near the Ohio there is a range of hills ; but the ge- 
neral surface of Indiana is extremely level. There is 
considerable marshy land, and the prairies are more nu- 
merous and extensive than those of Ohio. A great 
proportion of the soil, like that of Ohio, is very fertile. 
Grain and live stock are principally raised. The north- 
ern part of the state is as yet entirely unsettled, though 
in the progress of population it will not long remain so. 

The towns of Indiana are all small. Vincennes, on 
the Wabash, Vevay and Madison, on the Ohio, and Co- 
rydon, are the principal. Indianapolis, on White River, 
near the centre of the state, is the seat of government. 

There are lands reserved thoughout the state for the 
support of schools. 

When and by whom was the first settlement made in Indiana 1 

What is said of this settlement ? 

When did settlements by people of the United States begin ? 

When did Indiana become a state and a member of the Union ? 

How large is Indiana ? How many inhabitants 1 

What are the principal rivers ? 

What is said of the face of the country? Of the soil and productions ? 

Which are the principal towns ? Which is the seat of government ? 

What provision is made for schools ? 



114 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

MISSISIPPI. 

The first settlement of white inhabitants within the 
present boundaries of Missisippi, was made by the French 
at Natchez, about 1716. In 1729, this colony was en- 
tirely cut off by the Indians ; and the Indians in their 
turn were cut off by the French the following year. 
Some settlements were afterwards made, but the country 
remained in great part a wilderness till the year 1763, 
when it came into the hands of the English. Several 
settlements were then begun along the river in the neigh- 
bourhood of Natchez. These settlements were inter- 
rupted by the revolutionary war, and after the peace by 
disputes with the Spaniards about the boundaries. In 
1800, the country which now composes the states of Mis- 
sisippi and Alabama, was erected into a territory by the 
name of Missisippi Territory. After this the population 
rapidly increased ; and in 1817 the western part of this 
territory was made a state, and admitted to the Union. 

The area of Missisippi is about fifty thousand square 
miles, and has a population of one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand inhabitants, nearly half of whom are slaves. The 
principal rivers are the Missisippi, forming the western 
boundary, the Pascagoula, Pearl River, and Yazoo. 

The soil and surface of Missisippi are of three distinct 
kinds : first, the rich alluvial land on the banks of the 
streams ;* secondly, a border from ten to thirty miles 
wide of bluff or hilly land, extremely fertile, running along 

* The soil of alluvial land is soil which has been washed from hills and- 
mountains, and settled on level places by the overflowing of streams. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 115 

the Missisippi through the state ; and thirdly, an inferior 
sort of soil much more extensive than either of the other 
kinds, and covered with pine forests. The most im- 
proved and most populous part of the state is the south- 
west corner ; here the first settlements were made, and 
here is the largest extent of good land. Settlements are 
now extending into the south-eastern and central parts. 
The northern portion of the state remains in the posses- 
sion of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. Cotton is 
much cultivated in the state. 

The principal town is Natchez, built on several hills 
about half a mile from the eastern bank of the Missisippi. 
The population is not over three thousand, but the place 
is very important, and has an extensive trade, particu- 
larly in cotton. All the other towns are small, including 
Jackson, on Pearl River, the seat of government. 

Two colleges have been incorporated ; but education 
is not in a flourishing state. 

When and by whom was the first settlement made in this state ? What 
became of this settlement 1 What followed 1 When did the country 
fall into the hands of the English ? 

Were any settlements made by them ? What interrupted their progress ? 

When was Missisippi made an independent state, and admitted into the 
Union 1 What is the area of the state ? Population ? How many slaves ? 

What is said of the soil ? Who possess the northern part of the state ? 

What is the principal production 1 

Which is the principal town, and what is said of its situation and trade ? 

What is said of colleges and education 1 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

ILLINOIS. 



The country now forming part of the state of Illinois, 
along the Illinois and Missisippi Rivers, was discovered 



116 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

by the French as early as 1673, and some small settle- 
ments were soon after formed at Kaskaskia and other 
places along the rivers. These colonies never arrived 
at any considerable magnitude or consequence*. What is 
now the state of Illinois was claimed, like the rest of the 
country north-west of the Ohio, under the charter of 
Virginia. Virginia, however, ceded her claims to the 
United States. When the country north-west of the Ohio 
was erected into a territory in 1787, Illinois was included 
in it. In 1801, Illinois and Indiana were made a distinct 
territory; and in 1807, Illinois was made a territory by 
itself. In 1S18, it was made an independent state, and 
admitted into the Union. 

The area of Illinois is fifty-eight thousand square miles, 
and tiie population is more than one hundred and sixty 
thousand. 

The principal rivers are the Missisippi, forming the 
western boundary, the Wabash, forming the eastern boun- 
dary, the Illinois, and Kaskaskia. The north-east corner 
of the state touches lake Michigan. 

The surface of Illinois resembles that of Indiana and 
Ohio : hilly along the rivers and level further back, but 
with less of flat and marshy land than either of those 
states, and more rich plain than both of them taker* 
together. More than half the state consists of prairies. 
Illinois is supposed to have more fertile land than any 
other state in the Union. The productions are similar 
to those of Ohio. In the north-west corner of the state 
is a tract of country very rich in lead ore. Coal is also 
found, and there are numerous and valuable salt springs. 
The settlements are yet confined to the southern angle 
of the state ; all the northern and central parts are still a 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 117 

wilderness, but settlements and population are rapidly 
advancing. 

Kaskaskia is the largest town ; Vandalia is the seat of 
government. 

Land has been reserved throughout the state for the 
support of schools. 

When was the first settlement made in Illinois by white men ? 

Of what nation were they ? What is said of their settlements ? 

What state claimed the territory 1 What was done with it in 1737 ? 

When was Illinois made a state, and a member of the Union ? How large 
is the state ? How many people 1 

What are the principal rivers 1 What is said of the face of the country ? 
What part of the state is prairies ? What is said of the quantity offer- 
tile soil 1 Of productions ? Of ore ? Coal, and salt springs 1 

Which is the largest town, and which the seat of government? 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

ALABAMA. 

Alabama originally formed part of the Missisippi Ter- 
ritory. It was made a territory by itself in 1817, and in 
1S20 w T as admitted into the Union as an independent 
state. The settlements in this state are very recent ; the 
greater part of them have been made within twenty years. 

The area of Alabama is about fifty thousand square 
miles ; it has a population of over three hundred thou- 
sand, above a third of whom are slaves. 

The northern part of the state is watered by the Ten- 
nessee, the central and southern parts by the Tombeck- 
bee, Alabama, and their branches. 

This state is naturally divided into three very distinct 

parts. The northern part is in some places mountainous, 

and in general broken and pleasantly diversified; the 

middle part gradually assumes a more level surface, but 

l2 



US VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

the soil is very inferior to that of the northern part. The 
southern division is still less hilly than the middle, and is 
covered with forests of pine. There is a great diversity 
of climate. Fruits of various kinds nourish well ; but 
even the southern section does not admit the successful 
cultivation of the orange or sugar cane. Cotton is the 
great staple, though grain, and particularly Indian corn, 
is much cultivated. 

The principal town is Mobile, built on a beautiful and 
extensive plain near the head of Mobile Bay. It has a 
harbour tolerably convenient, though difficult of access, 
an extensive trade, and a population of three thousand. 

Tuscaloosa, on the Tombeckbee, and Huntsville, on 
the Tennessee, are flourishing towns. The seat of go- 
vernment is Cahawba, on the Alabama. 

To what did Alabama originally belong ? 

When was it made a territory by itself? When admitted into the Union 

as an independent state 1 
What is its area ? Population ? Number of slaves 1 Principal rivers ? 
How is the state naturally divided in point of surface and soil ? 
What is said of the climate ? Of productions 1 What is chiefly cultivated 1 
Principal town '! What other towns ? 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 



MAINE. 



One of the earliest attempts to colonize New-England, 
was made within the present limits of Maine. In 1607, 
a small English colony was landed near the mouth of the 
Kennebec ; but the severity of the winter and the suffer- 
ings of the people, compelled those who survived to return 
home the next year. About the time that Massachusetts 
was settled, establishments began to be formed along the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 119 

coast of Maine. These establishments were declared by- 
Massachusetts to be within her boundaries ; and they 
accordingly submitted to her jurisdiction. Maine, how- 
ever, had been granted by the King of England to Sir 
Ferdinand Gorges, and Massachusetts was finally obliged 
to purchase in the claims of his heirs. Maine continued 
a part of Massachusetts till 1820, when it was formed 
into a separate state, and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Maine is thirty-two thousand square miles ; 
it is divided into ten counties, and has a population of 
four hundred thousand. This population is confined 
entirely to the southern half of the state. The settle- 
ments are slowly advancing into the interior, but all the 
northern part yet remains a forest. 

The principal rivers are the St. Croix, forming part of 
the eastern boundary of Maine and of the United States, 
the Penobscot, the Kennebec, the Androscoggin, and 
the Saco ; and in the northern part, the St. John's. 

Education is well attended to 5 public schools, as in 
the other New- England States, are supported by law. 
Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, is a respectable and 
flourishing institution, and has an important medical 
school connected with it. 

The coast of Maine is studded with islands and abounds 
in good harbours. The interior of the country is hilly, 
with numerous streams and lakes. The land near the 
coast is not fertile; farther inland it is much better.' 
There, is, however, a great variety of soil. Many parts 
are excellent for grazing, and vast numbers of cattle are 
annually driven from them to market. Grain, grass, and 
flax, are the principal crops. 



120 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



The capital of Maine is Portland, pleasantly situated 
on Casco Bay, having a fine harbour and extensive 
commerce. The population is near thirteen thousand. 




View of Portland. 

There are many other considerable towns situated 
along the sea-coast, or on the banks of the rivers. Such 
are Bath, Hallowell, and Augusta, on the Kennebec ; 
Belfast, and Castine, on Penobscot Bay ; Bangor, on 
Penobscot River; Wiscasset, Machias, and Eastport. 
Augusta is the seat of government, and a beautiful state- 
house has been erected there. Maine enjoys great 
facilities for commerce, which are by no means neglect- 
ed. The principal article of export is lumber. This 
state is also largely engaged in the fisheries; it has more 
shipping than any other state, except Massachusetts and 
New-York. 

When was the first attempt made to form a settlement in Maine ? 

In what part of Maine was the colony landed ? What was the issue of 

this attempt 1 About what time were other settlements made ? 
To whom was the territory of Maine granted 1 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 121 

How did Massachusetts get possession of it 1 When was it separated 
from Massachusetts, and admitted as an independent state into the 
Union 1 , 

What is the area of Maine ? Number of counties ? Of people 1 What 
part of the state is most settled ? What remains wild ? What are the 
principal rivers 1 What is said of the sea coast 1 Of the interior ? Of 
the soil and crops 1 

What is the capital of Maine, and what is said of it ? What other towns 1 
Where is the seat of government ? 

What is said of the commerce, fisheries, and navigation of Maine ? 

What is the state of education 1 What is said of Bowdoin College? 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



MISSOURI. 



Missouri formed originally part of Louisiana Territory. 
A settlement was made by the French at St. Louis in 
1754 ; but this, like the other French settlements on the 
Missisippi, never arrived at any considerable magnitude. 
In 1803, the country came into the possession of the Uni- 
ted States, and began to be settled by our citizens. It 
remained under a territorial government till 1820, when 
it was erected into a state, and admitted into the Union. 

The area of Missouri is sixty-three thousand square 
miles ; it contains about one hundred and forty thousand 
inhabitants, of whom twenty-five thousand are slaves. 

The rivers are the Missisippi, forming the eastern 
boundary of the state, the Missouri, and their branches. 

The population is confined almost entirely to the banks 
of the two great rivers. 

Except the rich river bottoms, the surface of Missouri 
is rolling or hilly, but no where mountainous. The south- 
east part is in some degree liable to annual inundations. 
The soil is various, but generally very fertile. The 
prairies, especially in the western part, are very extensive. 



122 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The crops principally cultivated are wheat and Indian 
corn. Cotton is raised in the south-eastern counties. 

This state has become noted for its lead mines, which 
are among the richest and most extensive in the world. 
They yield annually many million pounds of lead. There 
are also vast beds of coal, which in a country so bare of 
wood, must in time become very valuable. Iron ore is 
also found in great plenty. The largest town is St. Louis, 
on the Missisippi. This city is built on alluvial ground 
which rises gradually from the water. The main streets 
are nearly parallel to the river. The buildings extend 
from the water to the high bank of the river, beyond 
which the country is a level and open prairie. St. Louis 
has an extensive trade, and increases fast in population, 
wealth, and importance. It has now about six thousand 
inhabitants. 

The other towns are small. Jefferson, on the Mis- 
souri, is the seat of government. 

Land has been reserved, throughout the state, for the 
support of schools. 

When, where, and by whom, was the first settlement made within the 

limits of Missouri 1 What is said of it 1 
When did the United States get possession of the country 1 
When was Missouri admitted into the Union ? How large is Missouri 1 

How many people ? 
What is said of the soil and productions ? What is said of rivers ? Of lead 

mines ? Of coal and iron ore 1 
Which is the principal town, and what is said of its situation, rise, trade. 

and increase ? Which is the seat of government, and where is it situated ? 



CHAPTER XL. 

THE TERRITORIES. 



Florida was originally discovered and colonized by 
the Spaniards. They established a colony at St. Augus- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 123 

tine as early as 1665, but the settlement never advanced 
to much importance. Florida remained in possession of 
the Spaniards till 1763, when it was ceded to the British, 
At the close of our revolutionary war, 1783, it passed 
again into the possession of Spain, and was ceded by her 
to the United States in 182L 

The area of Florida is fifty-four thousand square miles, 
and the population is about thirty-five thousand. Florida, 
in respect to soil and climate, may be considered as divided 
into two portions, the northern and southern. The whole 
country is low, but in the northern part, the surface is 
more broken, the land better timbered, and the soil supe- 
rior to that of the southern portion, which is in a great 
part marshy, flat, and destitute of timber. In all Florida 
the proportion of good soil to bad is very small ; but the 
mildness of the climate will make some compensation 
for the barrenness of the country. In the southern part 
snow is unknown, and frost, though occasional, is rare. 
The sugar-cane may be cultivated successfully in all the 
maritime ports of Florida, where the soil will suit ; as 
may also the orange, lemon, and lime. Rice, indigo, 
tobacco, Indian corn, and a great variety of fruits, suc- 
ceed well. The coast abounds in live oak, a very hard 
and heavy timber, peculiarly valuable for building ships 
of war. 

Florida is as yet mostly uninhabited. Pensacola and 
St. Augustine are the largest towns. Tallahassee is the 
seat of government. 

A part of the interior is occupied by the Seminole 
Indians. 

The principal rivers are the St. John's and the Appa- 
lachicola. There is a great number of smaller streams. 



124 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Arkansas, with the rest of Louisiana, of which it once 
formed a part, was first explored by the French, and 
they granted colonies within its present limits as early as 
1685. The country of Louisiana having come into the 
possession of the United States, Arkansas was erected 
into a territory in 1819. 

The area of Arkansas is one hundred and twenty 
thousand square miles ; the population is over thirty 
thousand. 

The principal rivers are the Missisippi forming the 
eastern boundary, the Red River forming the greater 
part of the southern boundary, and the Arkansas and 
White River within the territory. The settlements yet 
made are chiefly on the banks of the two last rivers. 

The eastern part of the Arkansas is an unbroken plain 
covered with a thick forest; then succeeds a very 
gradual ascent, partly forest and partly prairie, rising by 
degrees into hills. Next are the Ozark Mountains occu- 
pying the central part of the territory ; and beyond them 
wide and extensive prairies reaching to the western 
boundary. 

The seat of government is Little Rock, on the Ar- 
kansas. 

The Peninsula of Michigan was first visited and ex- 
plored by the French, who founded Detroit about 1 670 ; 
but it remained a mere trading port, and passed in 1763, 
with the rest of the French possessions in North- Am erica, 
into the hands of the English. The territory of Michi- 
gan was formed in 1805. It includes an area of thirty- 
four thousand square miles, with a population over 
thirty thousand. From the lakes, the surface of Michi- 
gan rises with a very gradual ascent. The interior is 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 125 

a wide extended plain, in many places marshy, with nu- 
merous streams running from it toward the lakes. The 
soil is deep and strong, well adapted to grasses and grain. 
In the southern part the climate is mild ; farther north 
the winters are long and severe. 

Detroit, which contains three thousand inhabitants, is 
the seat of government and the principal town. It has 
considerable trade, and is gradually increasing. 

The territory of Huron is connected with Michigan. 
Congress, however, have agreed to make it a territory 
by itself, though its government is not yet organized. 

Huron is about one hundred and forty thousand square 
miles in extent ; its surface is generally flat, and in many 
places marshy ; it is watered by numerous branches of 
the Misissippi. It is a fine region for hunters ; in the 
northern parts the buffalo, elk, bear, and deer, are common. 
The beaver, otter, and musk rat, are taken for their furs. 
In many places are immense prairies, in others extensive 
forests of pine and birch. All the rivers, and ponds, and 
marshes, abound in wild rice, which constitutes a consi- 
derable part of the food of the Indian inhabitants. The 
northern part of Huron is extremely cold. 

The principal settlement of the whites is on Green 
Bay, at the mouth of Fox River ; it contains over one 
thousand inhabitants. Prairie du Chien is a village on 
the Missisippi, famous for trade with the Indians. In the 
south-west part of Huron, on Fever River, are extensive 
and valuable lead mines. 

The territories of Missouri and Oregon, which are 
equal in extent to all the rest of the United States, are as 
yet unsettled by white men, and little known. 



126 . VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

How early and by whom was the first settlement made in Florida 1 

When was Florida ceded to Great Britain ? When was it ceded back to 
Spain? When did it come into the possession of the United States ? 

What is the area and population of Florida ? What is the character of 
the country as to surface, soil, climate, and productions ? What im- 
portant timber does it produce ? 

Which are the principal towns ? Which the seat of government ? 

What are the principal rivers ? 

How early and by whom was the first settlement made in Arkansas ? 

When was it erected into a territorial government ? How large is it, and 
what the population ? 

What are the principal rivers ? What the general features of the country ? 

What is the seat of government ? 

To what river are the settlements confined ? 

When , where, and by whom, was the first settlement of white people made 
in Michigan ? What is said of this settlement ? 

When was Michigan formed into a territory ? 

How large is it, and how many people does it contain ? 

What is the general aspect of the country ? What is said of the soil and 
climate ? What is the seat of government ? How large is it, and what 
is said of its trade ? 

What is said of the extent and surface of Huron 1 Of its animals ? What 
valuable grain does it produce ? 

Where is the principal settlement of white people ? What other settle- 
ment? What is said of lead mines, and where are they found? What 
is said of the climate ? 

What notice is taken of the territories of Missouri and Oregon 1 



CHAPTER XLI. 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

The District of Columbia, a tract or territory ten 
miles square, containing one hundred square miles, was 
ceded to the United States, in part by Virginia and in 
part by Maryland. The cession was accepted by the 
United States in 1790 ; but the Congress did not meet 
within the district till 1800. 

The general surface of the District is uneven, but not 
hilly, with a thin sandy soil. The Potomac crosses it 
from north-west to south-east. It is divided into two 
counties, and contains a population of forty thousand inha- 
bitants, who are for the most part collected in the three 
cities of Georgetown, Alexandria, and Washington. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 127 

Alexandria, on the south bank of the Potomac, in the 
south-east corner of the district, is a handsome town of 
eight thousand inhabitants. The streets intersect each 
other at right angles ; a great part of them are neatly 
payed, kept clean, and well lighted. The city is favour- 
ably situated for commerce, and carries on considerable 
trade, principally in flour and tobacco. 

Georgetown, farther up the river, at the head of the 
tide, is of the same size with Alexandria. The situation 
is very pleasant, commanding a fine view of the city of 
Washington (from which it is separated by Rock Creek), 
and of the surrounding country. The houses are princi- 
pally of brick, and many of them elegant. On the hills 
near the town are several fine country seats, Georgetown 
is a place of considerable trade ; and here is a Catholic 
College, the principal literary institution of the district. 

Washington, the seat of the United States Government, 
is situated on a peninsula between the Potomac and a 
small tributary stream called the East Branch. As the 
rivers approach each other, the East Branch spreads out 
into a wide bay, and uniting with the main branch forms a 
spacious harbour, with water deep enough for the largest 
vessels. This city was laid out on a very extensive plan, 
which has been thus far rigorously adhered to. At pre- 
sent it consists of three distinct settlements, a mile or 
more asunder, which altogether contain near twenty thou- 
sand inhabitants. 

The principal public buildings of the city are the Pre- 
sident's House and the Capitol ; and it is around these 
buildings that two of the settlements above mentioned 
are clustered. 

The President's House is a neat chaste building, of a 



128 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



light grey freestone, painted white. It stands on a pub- 
lic square, has a garden about it, and is one hundred and 
seventy feet in length, and eighty-five in breadth. 




Capitol at Washington. 

The Capitol is built of the same sort of stone as the 
President's house, and painted in the same manner. It is 
placed on the brow of a considerable hill, and commands 
a noble prospect. It is composed of a centre and two 
wings, the centre being one hundred and fifty feet in length 
and of nearly the same breadth, and the wings each a 
hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide. There is a 
portico running round the whole building, supported by a 
noble colonnade. The sessions of Congress are held in the 
Capitol. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, intended to 
unite the waters of the Ohio with those of the Chesa- 
peake, leaves the Potomac at Washington. This canal is 
now in progress, and it is confidently expected, that when 
finished it will contribute largely to increase the trade 
and general prosperity of the District of Columbia, 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 129 

How large is the District of Columbia? 

By what states was it ceded to the United States ? When was it accepted 1 

When was the first meeting of Congress within the district 1 

What is said of the general surface of the district 1 In what direction does 
the Potomac cross it ? 

Into low many counties is it divided? How many cities ? How many 
people ? 

What is said of Alexandria ? Of Georgetown ? 

How is Washington situated ? How is the harbour formed, and what is 
said of it ? How many inhabitants in Washington ? 

What are the principal public buildings ? Give a description of the Presi- 
dent's house. Of the Capitol. 

What is said of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and of its expected influ- 
ence upon the prosperity of the district ? 



CHAPTER XLIL 

CURIOSITIES.* 

It is proposed in this chapter to call the pupiPs atten- 
tion to some of the striking natural curiosities found in 
the country. These have been reserved as the subject 
of a separate chapter, in order to excite a livelier inter- 
est, as well as to assist the memory. 

In New-Hampshire, the Notch in the White Moun- 
tains, and what is called the Old Man of the Mountains, 
are remarkable curiosities. The Notch in the White 
Mountains presents a grand and picturesque scenery. 
The mountain range appears to have been cloven down 
to its base, for the purpose of opening a passage merely 
wide enough for a road, and for the channel for the head 
stream of Saco River. The Old Man of the Mountains 
is situated on a high peak of bare rock, a side view of 
which presents a complete profile of the human face. 

In the state of Connecticut, on the Housatonic, are the 
most considerable falls in New-England. They are 
formed by a ledge of limstone crossing the river, about 

* See Worcester's Geography and Sketches. 

m2 



130 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

thirty-five rods in length and sixty feet in perpendicular 
height. The river rushes down this precipice with ex- 
quisite beauty and astonishing grandeur. At the bottom 
is a majestic mass of foam and spray, in which are formed 
beautiful rainbows. Seventy rods above this cataract, 
another ledge twenty feet in height crosses the stream, 
and the river pours over it in a perpendicular sheet. 
Below this cataract, the river descends with a hasty cur- 
rent about forty rods, and then has a third fall of ten feet. 
The whole descent, including the cataracts and rapids, is 
about one hundred and thirty feet, finely arranged, and 
exhibiting a remarkable variety of beauty and grandeur. 
In New- York are many striking natural curiosities , 
but the most remarkable are the falls on the river which 
conveys the waters of lake Erie into lake Ontario. These 
falls, called Niagara Falls, have already been noticed in 
the chapter on lakes. They are considered the grandest 
object of the kind in the known world. Other cataracts 
have a greater perpendicular descent ; but none has been 
found in which so great a mass of water falls from so 
great a height. The width of the river at the falls is 
three quarters of a mile, and the perpendicular descent 
of the water on the Canada side is one hundred and fifty- 
one feet, and on the New- York side one hundred and 
sixty-two feet. The cataract is divided into two [parts 
by an island. The vapour which rises forms a cloud, 
that is sometimes seen at the distance of sixty miles. 
When the sun shines, the most brilliant rainbows appear 
in the vapour to persons who are near the falls. These 
falls are much visited by strangers, and cannot be viewed 
without emotions scarcely conceivable by any but an 
actual beholder. Beside this astonishing cataract, there 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 131 

are several other remarkable falls on different rivers in 
the state of New-York. 

What is called the Ridge Road is a great curiosity. It 
is eighty-seven miles long, extending from Rochester, on 
Gennesee River, to Lewistown, on Niagara River, and 
is used as a post road. Its general width is from four to 
eight rods, and its general elevation above the adjacent 
land, on each side, is about thirty feet. 

In the western part of New- York, about fifteen miles 
from Buffalo, and near the bank of a small stream, there 
issues from a ledge of slate rock a current of air, which 
takes fire on the application of a torch. When set on 
fire, it continues to burn till it is extinguished by the rising 
of the water of the rivulet. It has been known to burn 
for several weeks in succession. The flame is about six 
inches in length, and two and a half inches in diameter. 
In the same neighbourhood, there is another stream 
of air issuing from a slate rock, and having similar pro- 
perties. 

In the north part of the state, twelve or fifteen miles 
from Sacket's Harbour, there is an extraordinary cavern. 

It has been but partially explored, although it is said to 
have been traversed to the distance of more than one 
hundred rods. It is of great extent, comprising many 
spacious rooms, halls, and chambers. " The mouth of 
the cavern is a small hollow, about five feet below the 
surrounding surface of the earth. You then descend 
sixteen and a half feet into a room about sixteen feet 
wide, twenty long, and eight high. In front of you is a 
large table rock, twelve or fourteen feet square, two feet 
thick, and elevated about four feet from the bottom of the 
cavern. The roof over head is covered with stalactites, 



132 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

some of which reach to the rock.* On your left hand 
is an arched way of a hundred and fifty feet ; and on 
your right is another arched way, six feet broad at the 
bottom, and six high, leading into a large room. Passing 
by this arch about twenty feet, you arrive at another, 
which leads into a hall ten feet wide and one hundred 
long, from five to eight feet high, supported by pillars and 
arches, and the sides bordered with what appears like 
curtains, plaited in variegated forms as white as snow.f 
Through another arch you pass into a number of rooms 
curtained and having stalactites hanging from the roof. 
You then descend ten feet into a chamber about twenty 
feet square, curtained in like manner and hung over with 
stalactites. In one corner of this room is a mound, the 
top of which is hollow and full of water, from the drip- 
pings of stalactites above, some of which reach near to 
the basin. The number and spaciousness of the rooms, 
curtained and plaited with large plaits, extending along 
the walls from two to three feet from the roof, of the most 
perfect whiteness, resembling the most beautiful tapestry ; 
the large drops of water, which are constantly suspended 
from the roofs ; the columns of spar resting on pedestals, 
which in some places seem to be formed to support the 
arches ; the reflection of the lights, and the great extent 
and variety of the scenery of this wonderful cavern — form 
altogether one of the most pleasing and interesting scenes 
of the kind ever beheld by the eye of man." 

* Stalactites are produced by water dripping very slowly and for ages 
From the roofs and sides of caverns. The water, in its passage through 
the pores or cracks of limestone and marble, dissolves some particles, 
These particles unite and gradually form a solid and beautiful substance, 
la shape and appearance resembling an icicle. Some stalactites are nearly 
transparent. 

t These curtains are of the same substance as the stalactites 5 the sub- 
stance is also called spar. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 133 

Iii Virginia, the natural bridge over a small stream 
called Cedar Creek, is regarded as a great curiosity. 
The stream flows through a chasm two hundred and fifty 
feet deep, forty-five wide at the bottom, and ninety at the 
top ; and across the chasm extends a huge rock sixty 
feet wide in the middle, forming a bridge over the stream- 
This bridge, of course, is between five and six rods in 
length. On the top there is a coat of earth, which gives 
growth to large trees. The bridge is arching, and the 
thickness of earth and rock of which it is composed, is 
about forty feet at the highest part of the arch. To a 
person standing on the bridge, a view of the chasm and 
stream below is painful and intolerable ; but to a person 
at the bottom of the chasm, a view of the bridge is de- 
lightful in an equal extreme. " So beautiful an arch, so 
elevated, so light, and springing, as it were, up to heaven 
— the rapture of the spectator is indescribable." 

The passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge 
is said to present one of the most tremendous scenes in 
nature ; but the most remarkable cataract in Virginia is 
the cascade of Falling Spring, so called. This stream 
falls over a rock two hundred feet high into the valley 
below. The sheet of water is twelve or fifteen feet wide 
above, but spreads as it descends. It is broken in breadth 
by the rock in two or three places, but not at all in 
height. Between the sheet and the rock at the bottom, 
one may pass through dry. 

In Virginia are several remarkable caves, of which the 
most extraordinary is Wier's Cave. It is about half' a 
mile in length, and contains several apartments ; and like 
the cave already described, presents the most beautiful 
incrustations and stalactites, formed by the dropping of 



134 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

'the water. One of the rooms in this cave, called Wash- 
ington Hall, is about two hundred and seventy feet in 
length, about thirty-five in width, and between thirty and 
forty feet high. A visitor speaks of it as the most ele- 
gant room he ever saw. The roofs and sides are very 
beautifully adorned by the tinsels, which nature has be- 
stowed in the greatest profusion, and which sparkle like 
the diamond when viewed by the light of torches. Near 
the centre of this room is a white figure of limestone, 
very much in the shape of a man, which is called Wash- 
ington's statue. In another room is a noble pillar, called 
the Tower of Babel. It is about ninety feet in circum- 
ference, and thirty feet high. It is composed entirely of 
stalactites of lime, or, as some would judge from its ap- 
pearance, of icicles. 

In North-Carolina is mount Ararat, or Pilot Mountain. 
This mountain rises to the height of several thousand 
feet in the form of a pyramid, having at the top an area 
of about one acre. From this a stupendous rock shoots 
up like a steeple three hundred feet. It is seen at the 
distance of sixty or seventy miles, and formerly served, 
it is said, for a beacon or pilot to the Indians. 

In Georgia, the River Terrora descends three hundred 
feet in the space of a mile, and has one cataract of sixty 
feet nearly perpendicular. Toccoa Falls, on a small 
stream, form a beautiful cascade of one hundred and 
eighty-six feet. 

In the Cherokee country is a remarkable cave. As far 
as it has been explored, it forms a passage for a stream 
of cool and limpid water. This stream, where it leaves 
the cave, is sixty feet wide and six feet deep. Some 
years since a gentleman traced the course of it in a canoe 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 135 

for the distance of three miles into the cave. He then 
came to a fall of water, which prevented him from pro- 
ceeding farther. He entered the cave in the morning, 
and returned in the evening, having spent twelve hours 
in his subterranean voyage. 

In the south-west part of Kentucky is a cave which has 
been explored to the distance of ten miles. It contains 
numerous avenues and apartments. The largest apart- 
ment yet discovered, or as it may be otherwise called, 
the chief area, contains more than eight acres, without a 
single pillar to support the arch, which is entire over the 
whole. Nothing can be more grand than this place, 
covered as it is with a solid arch at least one hundred 
feet high. The number of avenues leading from this 
area are five. They are from sixty to one hundred feet 
in width, and forty in height. Pursuing one of these 
avenues about two miles from the chief area, you enter 
a second containing six or seven acres, and covered with 
an arch two hundred feet high. In a third area of about 
a hundred feet square, is a delightful stream of pure 
water, which issues from the side of a wall about thirty 
feet high. A fourth area contains at least six acres, and 
is ten miles from the mouth of the cave. Here are up- 
wards of twenty piles of earth on the one side, and broken 
limestone heaped up on the other, evidently the work of 
human hands. A fifth area contains upwards of four 
acres of level ground strewed with limestone, and having 
fire beds of uncommon size, surrounded with brands of 
cane. Columns of spar sixty or seventy feet high are 
found in this cave, and also very rich and brilliant 
stalactites. One of the avenues is called the haunted 
chamber, from the echo within; it is more than two 



136 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

miles in length, and its arch is very beautifully encrusted 
with limestone spar: In many places the columns of spar 
extend from the ceiling to the floor. Near the centre 
of this arch is a dome, apparently fifty feet high, hung 
with rich drapery, festooned in the most fanciful manner 
for six or eight feet from the hangings, and of colours 
the most rich and brilliant. This drapery, it .will be 
understood, is all solid rock, and formed in the same 
manner as the spar or stalactites, by the dropping of the 
water from the ceiling and sides of the cave. The earth 
found in this cave, as well as in others in the state of 
Kentucky, contains large quantities of saltpetre. 

In the state of Indiana is a very remarkable cave. 
It has been explored to the distance of about two miles, 
and besides other curious objects and substances found 
in caves, it is remarkable for containing vast quantities of 
the substance commonly called Epsom Salts. There are 
many caves in Indiana. 

Throughout the western country, extending from the 
Allegany to the Rocky Mountains, and from the great 
lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, are found numerous monu- 
ments of the ancient inhabitants. They consist of 
mounds, chiefly of earth, sometimes of stone, of embank- 
ments or walls, of ditches and excavations, and are 
supposed to be remains of forts, burying places, temples, 
altars, camps, towns, he. Similar mounds are found in 
various other parts of the globe. 

These monuments indicate great labour, and were 
evidently the work of a people far more civilized than 
the Indians, but far less so than the people of the United 
States. They contain no hewn stone, nor are there 
any ruins among them, which prove the existence in 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 137 

former ages of buildings constructed of imperishable 
materials. They are found in the valleys of large 
streams, on elevated plains, sometimes on hills, and 
chiefly in fertile districts. The origin and history of 
these remarkable works are entirely unknown. The 
Indians can give no account of them, and there is no 
historical record or tradition concerning them. Some 
have supposed they were built by a people who have 
long since become extinct ; others, that they were built 
by the ancestors of the Indians. The subject, however, 
is still in utter obscurity. 

In the mounds are found axes and other utensils, orna- 
ments of stone, idols, potter's ware, mirrors made of 
isinglass, some silver, copper, and in a very few instances, 
iron. 

In Virginia, about fourteen miles below Wheeling, near 
the Ohio, is a mound three hundred feet in diameter at 
the bottom, sixty at the top, and seventy feet high. It 
has been opened far enough to ascertain that it incloses 
thousands of human skeletons. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE STATES, AND OF THE UNITED 

STATES. 

Each of the twenty-four states has a constitution, 
laws, and government, of its own. By the constitution 
of a state is meant the written system or frame of go- 
vernment which the people of such state have adopted. 
It is a fundamental principle of the governments of the 
states, and of the United States, that all political authority 

N 



138 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

or power resides originally in the people ; and that the 
people have a right, of which none may lawfully deprive 
them, to adopt whatever form of government they may 
choose ; and to change and alter such form, whenever 
in their opinion the public good requires it. The 
constitutions of the several states, with some lesser differ- 
ences, are very much alike. They all establish what 
is called a republican form of government ; that is, a 
government in which the people choose their own ru- 
lers for limited periods. A government of this kind is 
also called a representative government, because the per- 
sons who hold offices in such a government represent 
the people, or in other words, make use of the authority 
which the people have given them. 

The chief magistrate in each of the states is called 
the Governor. He is usually chosen for one year, 
though in some of the states he is chosen for a longer 
time. In each of the states there is a legislature, con- 
sisting, with one or two exceptions, of two bodies or 
houses, one called the House of Representatives, Dele- 
gates, or Assembly, and the other, the Senate. The 
legislature determines what laws shall be made, but no 
act of the legislature ordinarily becomes a law, till it is 
approved by the Governor. Each state also has a 
Supreme Court of its own, with inferior courts, for the 
administration of justice according to the constitution and 
laws. 

Although the several states are sovereign and inde- 
pendent, with distinct laws and governments of their own, 
they are yet closely united together, so as to form in 
fact one nation. It is on the preservation of this Union, 
that the safety and prosperity of the country essentially 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 139 

depend. Beside the separate state governments, there- 
fore, there is a general or national government, which is 
properly the government of the United States. The 
written instrument, or Articles of Union, by which the 
duties and powers of the general government are pre- 
scribed and determined, is called the Constitution of the 
United States. It is also called the Federal Constitution. 
The purpose of this constitution is to assign to the general 
government such duties and powers only as more espe- 
cially relate to the general welfare, that is, to the welfare 
of the United States as a nation* 

The general government, or as it is otherwise called, 
the federal government, has the power of declaring war 
and making peace, of raising armies and maintaining a 
navy, of making treaties with foreign nations, of laying 
duties on goods and merchandise, of regulating commerce, 
coining money, establishing post-offices and post-roads, 
of punishing piracy and other crimes committed on the 
high seas, with many other important powers. The gene- 
ral government has the disposal of the vast unsettled 
territories of the United States, and the sole power of 
making new states and admitting them into the Union. 
The forts on the frontiers as well as at the entrances of 
harbours, and all the light-houses along our shores, are 
owned and maintained by the United States. 

The government of the United States, like the govern- 
ments of the individual states, is divided by the constitu- 
tion into three principal branches ; viz : the legislative, 
the executive, and the judiciary. The legislative branch 
or the Congress, as it is called, consists of a Senate and 
House of Representatives. To Congress belongs the 
power of making laws, according to the constitution. 



140 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

At the head of the executive branch is the President, 
whose office corresponds, in many respects, to that of a 
governor of a particular state. The President has the 
general oversight and direction of the affairs of the Uni- 
on, and is by far the most important officer of the gene- 
ral government. The judiciary comprises the courts of 
the United States, whose duty it is to interpret the laws 
of the Union, and to administer justice according to 
them. But the several branches of government require 
a more particular consideration. 

What is meant by the constitution of a state ? 

On what fundamental principle are our state and national governments 

founded 1 
What is said of the resemblance of the state constitutions to each other? 
What sort of government do they establish? 
What do you mean by a republican or representative government ? To 

which of the United States do you belong? 
In what manner and for how long a term, is the governor of your state 

chosen ?* Has he a council, and of what number does it consist ? 
Of how many branches does the legislature of your state consist? 
What number of members in each branch, and how are they chosen ? 
At what time of the year, and in what place, does the legislature meet 1 
How are the judges of your state appointed? 
How long do they hold their office ? 
How are the military officers chosen or appointed ? 
Who are legal voters in the state to which you belong ? 
When did your state become independent, or when was it admitted into 

the I fnion ? . 

What do you understand by the constitution of the United States I 
When was this constitution framed, and for what purpose ? 
Into how many principal branches is the general government divided, and 

what are they called? .-,•-» 

To what does the office of President corre?pond, and what are its duties ? 
What power belongs to Congress ? What duty is assigned to the courts ? 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

LEGISLATURE OR CONGRESS. 

The legislature of the United States consists of a Se- 
nate and House of Representatives. Each of these bodies 



* The answer to this question, and to the eight questions immediately 
following it, must be sought in some other work. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 141 

takes a part in the making of all the laws of the United 
States, and has other powers and duties. 

The Senate is composed of two Senators from each 
of the states, chosen by their respective legislatures for 
the term of six years. The Vice President of the 
United States is President of the Senate, and regulates 
its debates and proceedings; but he has no vote on any 
question, unless the Senate be equally divided. The 
Senate must be consulted by the President in the ratifi- 
cation of treaties, and in the appointment of many officers. 
The President may nominate persons for office, but the 
Senate must approve the nomination, before any appoint- 
ment can be made.* The Senate has the sole power 
of trying impeachments. That is, if the President, a 
Judge, or other civil officer, be complained of by the 
House of Representatives for wrong and unjust practices 
in office, the Senate is the court by whom it must be 
tried. If found guilty, he may be removed from his 
office, and be for ever after incapable of holding any 
office under the United States. 

The House of Representatives consists of members, 
chosen by the people of the several states for the term 
of two years. Each state has a right to send a number 
of representatives to Congress, according to the number 
of its inhabitants ; but in the choice of representatives, 
five slaves are counted as equal to three persons. 
The House of Representatives choose their own speaker, 
and other necessary officers. They have also the sole 
power of making impeachments ; that is, of bringing civil 

* The appointment of many inferior officers is regulated by law in a 
different manner. They are appointed Jby the President alone, or by other 
officers. The present ratio of representation is one representative for 
every forty thousand inhabitants. 

n2 



42 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

officers before the Senate to be tried for misconduct in 
office. Each House, or body, keeps a journal of its pro- 
ceedings, and has rules established for regulating the 
transaction of business. Each House appoints standing 
committees on the most important subjects, such as the 
revenue, the public lands, commerce, the army, navy, 
&c. These committees, after considering the subjects 
referred to them, report to the House to which they re- 
spectively belong, what in their opinion is best to be 
done, or what laws it is best to make concerning the 
subjects they have considered. 

The general method of making laws is this. A bill 
or writing, containing the words of the law proposed to be 
made, is by leave introduced into one of the Houses of 
Congress, either by a committee to whom the subject 
has been referred, or by an individual member. This 
bill is twice read. If the House agree to take the bill 
into further consideration, it is discussed or debated by 
such members as choose to speak upon it. Every mem- 
ber has an opportunity to propose such alterations as he 
pleases, and to givereasons why the bill ought or ought 
not to become a law. If, after consideration, the bill, 
either with or without amendment, be agreed to by a 
majority of the House, it is sent to the otbea: House to 
be treated in a similar manner. If it be agreed to by a 
majority of this other House, it is then sent to the Presi- 
dent of the United States; and if he approve and sign it, 
the bill becomes a law. But if he refuse to sign it, he 
returns it, with objections ; and it cannot become a law, 
unless after being fully considered again by both Houses 
of Congress, two-thirds of each House agree to it. In 
this case it becomes a law, without being signed by the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 143 

President. If the President, however, do not return the 
bill within ten days (Sunday excepted), it becomes a law 
the same as if he had signed it, unless he is prevented 
from returning it by an adjournment of Congress. 

Congress is obliged to assemble at least once every 
year, and the meeting must be on the first Monday in 
December, unless a different day shall be appointed by 
law. Each House judges of the elections, returns, and 
qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each 
must be present in order to do business ; but a smaller 
number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the 
attendance of absent members. 



Of whom is the Senate of the United States composed? 

In what manner, and for how long a time, are the Senators chosen ? 

Who presides when the Senate is assembled ? 

Has he a vote on any question ? 

On what subjects must the Senate be consulted by the President ? 

At what trials must the Senate sit as a court ? 

What punishment can the Senate inflict on persons found guilty? 

Of whom is the House of Representatives composed? 

By whom and for how long a period are they chosen ? 

How many representatives to Congress are chosen in the state to which 

you belong? 
What is the general method of making laws ? 
How may a bill become a law without the President's signature ? 
Besides taking a part in making laws, what other powers belong to the 

House of Representatives? 
How often and at what time is Congress required to assemble ? 



CHAPTEPv XLV. 

THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT.— HEADS OF DEPART- 
MENTS. 

The President and Vice President of the United 
States are chosen for the term of four years, and in the 
following manner. Each state appoints, in such manner 
is it may determine, a number of electors equal to the 
whole number of senators and representatives to which it 



144 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

is entitled in Congress. These electors meet in their 
respective states on the same day throughout the Union, 
and vote by ballot for President and Vice President, one 
of whom, at least, must not be an inhabitant of the same 
state with themselves. The person who has the greatest 
number of votes for President is chosen, provided such 
number be a majority of the whole number of electors 
appointed in all the states. But if no person has this 
majority, the House of Representatives in Congress choose 
by ballot one of the three who have the highest number 
of votes, to be the President. At this election, however, 
the vote is taken by states, the representation from each 
state having one vote. If no person voted for as Vice 
President have a majority of all the votes, the Vice 
President is elected by the Senate of the United States 
out of the two who have the highest number of votes. 
If the President be removed by death, or become in any 
way incapable of discharging the duties of his office, the 
Vice President is to supply his place. 

The powers and duties of the President are very va- 
rious and important. He is commander-in-chief of the 
army and navy of the United States ; he has power, with 
the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties 
with foreign nations, provided two-thirds of the Senate 
concur ; he has the right to nominate, and with the con- 
sent of the Senate to appoint, ambassadors and other 
public ministers to foreign countries ; to appoint consuls 
to reside at foreign cities for the purpose of protecting 
commerce ; to appoint Judges of the Supreme Court and 
of the inferior courts of the United States ; to appoint 
officers of the army and navy, collectors of the customs, 
and other officers connected with the revenue ; to ap- 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 145 

point the governors and judges of the organized territo- 
ries, and a great number of other officers, who hold their 
places under the authority of the United States. 

The President, from time to time, gives Congress in- 
formation of the state of the Union, and recommends to 
their consideration such measures as he thinks needful 
and expedient ; and in extraordinary cases, he can con- 
vene both houses of Congress, or either of them. 

To assist the President in carrying on the executive 
branch of the government, there are four departments, 
established by law, the officers of which are appointed 
by him, and called Heads of Departments. 

The first department is called the Department of 
State ; it consists of a Secretary of State, a chief clerk, 
and a number of inferior clerks. 

The Secretary of State has the keeping of all the acts 
and resolutions passed by Congress. These he causes 
to be recorded in books provided for that purpose. He 
keeps the seal of the United States, and affixes it to the 
commissions of all officers under the general government. 
Under the direction of the President, he has the care of 
all correspondence with foreign nations ; of giving instruc- 
tions to our ministers and consuls abroad ; and of coi>- 
ducting negotiations with the public ministers, who are 
sent hither from foreign governments. These are all 
very important duties, since questions of peace and war 
may often depend on skilfully performing them. 

The next department is that of the Treasury. It 
consists of a Secretary of the Treasury, two Comptrol- 
lers, five Auditors, a Registrar, Treasurer, and several 
inferior officers. This department has the care of the 
public revenue, the collection and expenditure of the 



146 VIEW Or THE UNITED STATES. 

public money ; but no money can be drawn from the 
treasury without a previous appropriation by law. Con- 
nected with this department are the collectors of the 
customs hroughout the Union, and the agents for the 
sale of public lands. The Secretary of the Treasury 
has the particular oversight and inspection of commerce. 

The third department is called the department of 
War. The principal officer of this department is the 
Secretary of War. He has the oversight and manage- 
ment of the army of the United States; provides the 
soldiers with supplies ; and under the direction of the 
President, appoints the places where they shall be sta- 
tioned. The erection and repairs of fortresses, forts, and 
arsenals, are under the direction of the Secretary of W T ar. 

The fourth department is that of the Navy. The 
Secretary of the Navy has the general oversight, care, 
and management, of all the ships of war, public vessels, 
and naval stores, of the United States. The navy yard, 
the building of new vessels, the repairs of old ones, and 
the manning, equipping, and employing of these vessels, 
are under his direction. To assist him in the discharge 
of these important duties, three experienced officers of 
the Navy are appointed, called the Board of Commis- 
sioners for the Navy. 

The heads of these four departments, together with 
the Attorney General of the United States,* compose 
what is commonly called the President's Cabinet. He 
consults them as he chooses in the discharge of his du- 
ties, and may require, when he pleases, their opinions in 
writing upon any subjects relating to the duties of their 
respective offices. 

* The Attorney General manages the causes before the Supreme Court, 
in which the United States are a party. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 147 

Besides the four departments already mentioned, there 
is another, connected with the executive branch of the 
general government, called the Post Office Department. 
The person at the head of this department is called the 
Postmaster General, and, like the other heads of depart- 
ments, is appointed by the President. The Postmaster 
General establishes Post Offices wherever he deems it 
expedient, and appoints postmasters to keep them. He 
also provides for carrying the mail into all the different 
parts of the country. 

The Master of the Mint, who superintends the coining 
of money, is also appointed by the President. 

For discharging properly the duties of President of 
the United States, great knowledge, talents, and experi- 
ence, are indispensable ; and even these qualifications are 
not sufficient, without great integrity and virtue. 

For how long a term are the President and Vice President of the United 

States chosen ? 
In what manner are they chosen respectively ? 
When the choice of President is made by the Representatives in Congress, 

in what manner do they vote ? 
When no person has a majority of votes for Vice President, how is the 

Vice President chosen ? 
When does he take the President's place ? 
What are the duties of the President ? 
What duties are assigned to the Secretary of State ? To the Secretary of 

the Treasury 1 To the Secretary of War ? To the Secretary of the 

Navy? 
Who are the President's cabinet? 
What duties are assigned to the Postmaster General ? To the Master of 

the Mint ? 
What duties are performed by the Attorney General ? 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

JUDICIARY.— REM ARKS . 



The Supreme Court of the United States consists of 
a ©Miff Justice and six associate Justices, who are ap- 



148 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

pointed by the President, with the consent of the Senate, 
and who hold their offices during good behaviour. It is 
this august tribunal which binds the Union firmly to- 
gether, by preventing the general government or the go- 
vernments of the individual states, from passing the limits 
prescribed to them by the constitution. 

Besides the Supreme Court, there are other inferior 
courts of the United States, called Circuit Courts and 
District Courts. The United States are divided into 
districts, a state generally being one district, though some 
of the largest states comprise two districts. In each of 
these districts a judge is appointed by the President, for 
the purpose of holding stated courts, called district courts. 
The United States are also divided into seven circuits ; 
each judge of the Supreme Court has one circuit, and 
holds courts in each district of his circuit, the judge of 
each district sitting with him as an assistant. 

All cases in which the United States are a party, are 
managed before the courts, either by the Attorney Gen- 
eral of the United States, or by other persons, called 
district attorneys. The courts which have been de- 
scribed, have jurisdiction in all cases in law or equity, 
arising under the constitution and laws of the United 
States, and under treaties made with foreign nations ; in 
all controversies to which the United States are a party ; 
in disputes between two or more states, between citizens 
of different states, and in other important cases. Per- 
sons not satisfied with decisions in the District or Circuit 
Courts, may appeal, except in cases of trials for crime, 
to the Supreme Court. 

From the view which has been given of the Constitu- 
tion of the United States, it appears, that as a nation we 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 149 

are placed under a form of government, eminently adapt- 
ed to promote the general welfare. It is not easy to 
conceive in what manner more judicious provisions could 
be made for the passage of good and wholesome laws, 
and for the prosperous administration of government, 
than are made bv the Constitution. 

Both Houses of Congress have a voice in the passage 
of every law of the United States. The members of 
the House of Representatives, as has been already stated, 
are chosen by the people for the term of two years. No 
person can be a member, unless he is twenly-five years 
of age, and a citizen of the United States ; that is, either 
an inhabitant bom in the country, or made a citizen on 
declaring his approbation ol the constitution, and promis- 
ing to support it. Thus the people have the liberty of 
choosing wise and good men to be their representatives 
in Congress. 

The people of each state choose persons to make 
their own state laws ; and these persons choose the Se- 
nators to Congress for the state to which they belong. 
Although the Senators are now chosen for the term of 
six years, yet when the present form of government went 
into operation, the Senate was divided into three classes 
in such a manner, as to require a third part of the Se- 
nate to be chosen anew every two years.* No person 
can be a Senator of the United States, unless he is thirty 
years of age, and a citizen. It seems as if very wise and 
prudent arrangements were made to secure an able and 
upright Senate in Congress. 

The legislatures of the several states, or else the peo- 

* The term of the first class was two years, that of the second four 
years, that of the third six years. 



150 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

pie themselves, choose the persons who are to elect the 
President, but no person can be President till he is 
thirty-five years of age, nor unless he is a native-born 
citizen.* Thus provision is made for placing at the 
head of the government, if the people choose to do it, 
the wisest, best, and most suitable person in the country. 
Moreover, the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the 
inferior Courts of the United States are appointed by 
the President, with the consent of the Senate, to hold 
their office as long as they live, provided their behaviour 
in office is good. They cannot be turned out of office, 
unless they are tried and condemned by the Senate. 
Thus it appears that the best arrangement is made to se- 
cure the appointment of upright and able Judges, and 
that the tenure by which they hold their office is such, 
as to secure in the best manner an independent, impar- 
tial, and faithful administration of justice. 

It is not possible, perhaps, for the people of this, or of 
any other country, to form a better government than the 
one under which we are living. The powers and duties 
of the several branches of the government, the rights of 
the states, and of individual citizens, are so carefully and 
properly defined, and the whole system is so well pro- 
vided with checks and balances, as to secure, one would 
think, if any form of government can secure, the prospe- 
rity of the nation. 

But it must never be forgotten, that no form of go- 
vernment can of itself make a nation prosperous and 
- i.i ■ — - 

* The words of the Constitution are these : ". No person except a natu- 
ral born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adop- 
tion of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President." It 
is now so long since the Constitution was adopted, that no person except 
a native citizen has any ehance of being elected. 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 151 

happy. It must never be forgotten, that in a free go- 
vernment like ours, in which the people have all the 
power, and choose their own rulers, general intelligence 
and virtue among the people are. absolutely requisite to 
the general welfare. An ignorant people know not how 
to make a proper selection of rulers. They are continu- 
ally liable to be imposed upon by crafty and aspiring 
men, seeking places of honour, authority, and profit, for 
their own good, and not for the people's. A people 
without virtue, will of course choose men without virtue 
to govern them ; and we have good authority for saying, 
that " when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn," 
and are unhappy.* 

The governments of the individual states, as well as 
the government of the United States, have all been 
framed and established on the principle, that they are to 
be supported and maintained by the intelligence and 
virtue of the people ; but no people can be intelligent 
and virtuous, without institutions of knowledge and of 
religion to make them so. It is' essentially important, 
therefore, that good schools, the public worship of God, 
and public instruction in religion and morality, be esta- 
lished and maintained throughout the United States. It 
is essential to the preservation of civil liberty, and to a 
righteous administration of government from age to age, 
that our youth be early and deeply impressed w T ith the 
fear of God, with a sense of responsibility to him, with 
the value of truth, with the conviction that virtue and 
happiness are connected, that " righteousness exalteth a 
nation, and that sin is a reproach to any people. "f 



* Prov.xiix. 2. f Prov. xiv. 34. 



152 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Of whom is the Supreme Court composed ? 

What is said of the influence of this august tribunal ? 

What other courts of the United States ? 

Give an account of each. 

In what cases have the courts of the United States jurisdiction 1 



What remark is made upon the form of government under which we are 
living ? 

How old must a person be before he can be chosen a Representative in 
Congress ? 

How old before he can be a Senator of the United States 1 

How old before he can be a President ? 

What is said of the provision made for the appointment of Judges, and for 
the administration of justice ? 

What besides a good governmentis requisite to make a nation prosperous 
and happy ? 

How are the state and national governments to be supported and main- 
tained ? 

What is necessary to render the people intelligent and virtuous ? 

What is essential to the preservation of civil liberty, and to a righteous 
administration of government from age to age ? 



CHAPTER XLVIT. 

CONCLUSION.— ADDRESS TO THE YOUTH OF THE UNITED STATES, 

In the last chapter some notice was taken of the prin- 
ciples and virtues, by which the blessings and privileges 
enjoyed by the people of the United States are to be 
continued and transmitted from age to age. I propose 
in this concluding chapter, to call your attention more 
particularly to the character and duties of a good repub- 
lican citizen. 

No youth can read and understand the constitution of 
the United States, nor the constitution of the particular 
state to which he belongs, without perceiving that very 
important duties are assigned to the people. In other 
words, the people have taken upon themselves very im- 
portant duties in relation to the government under which 
they "live. They have determined for themselves what 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 153 

the form of this government shall be, and they claim and 
exercise the sole right to choose persons to administer it, 
and to make laws under it. The people of this country, 
under the Providence of God, are the guardians of their 
own privileges, and consequently of their own happiness. 
The happiness of the people as a nation is essentially 
connected with a faithful and wise administration of the 
government ; but in order to such an administration of 
the government, faithful and wise men must be chosen 
into office. 

Every citizen of the United States, then, enjoying the 
right of suffrage, has important duties to perform in rela- 
tion to the votes he gives in the choice of rulers. These 
duties, like all other duties, should be performed in the 
spirit of truth and integrity. In giving his vote or ballot, 
he should consider himself as highly responsible, as un- 
dertaking to discharge a moral as well as civil duty. If 
he gives his vote for a person whom he does not believe 
to be an upright and capable man, he does wrong ; he 
does wrong to himself and his country ; he puts in jeo- 
pardy, so far as his own influence goes, his political privi- 
leges. He neglects to act as a faithful guardian of his 
own welfare and that of his countrymen. 

Men under the influence of party spirit, are apt to 
suppose that their political duties are not moral duties ; 
that in discharging these duties they may act as they 
please 5 that their civil liberty gives them the absolute 
right to vote for such persons as they are inclined to vote 
for. But it is very important, my young friends, that 
every person, having the right of suffrage, consider him- 
self morally bound to exercise this right in an honest and 
conscientious manner. Whenever, therefore, you shall 
o2 



154 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

come to be of age to vote for persons to fill important 
stations in the government, you must act as really in the 
fear of God, as in performing other important duties. 
You must never give your vote or voice in favour of 
persons whom you do not believe to be capable and 
worthy. You must consider it not only as unwise and 
unsafe, but absolutely immoral, to entrust the public wel- 
fare to the management of persons to whom you would 
be unwilling to confide your own private concerns. He 
who is not faithful in that which is least, certainly will 
not be faithful in that which is greatest. He that is dis- 
honourable, selfish, and fraudulent, in private life, will be 
very unlikely to sustain a different character in public 
life. 

But the duties of a good republican citizen are not all, 
nor chiefly, comprised in an honest and conscientious 
exercise of the right of suffrage. There are other duties 
to be performed, and other virtues to be cherished and 
maintained, beside those which relate to the choice of 
rulers; duties and virtues which cannot be overlooked 
and neglected, without putting at hazard all the privileges 
which render this country peculiarly dear to the friends 
of liberty. If you would be good republican citizens, you 
must cherish and maintain good republican principles and 
habits. In the Declaration of Independence, made and 
published by the Congress at Philadelphia in 1776, it is 
stated as a self-evident truth, " that all men are created 
equal." Our republican government is established upon 
this truth. No man can exercise an undue influence 
over another, without violating this principle of liberty ; 
and all affectation of stateliness and display, which is 
calculated to render those in humbler circumstances 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 155 

discontented with their lot, is anti-republican. A real 
republican is a right plain man — plain in dress, plain in 
manners, plain in speech, and plain in all his arrange- 
ments. 

Among the most important republican virtues, is eco~ 
nomy or frugality. It is not to be expected that the great 
body of the people of any country will be rich. If they 
are furnished with the means of comfortable subsistence, 
and at the same time are making a prudent use of these 
means, they ought to be considered a prosperous and 
happy people. The general practice of economy would 
have an obvious tendency to preserve that equality among 
men which is favourable to the support of free republi- 
can institutions, and without which they cannot be main- 
tained mfact, though they may be in form. A man of 
economy, who is at the same time a friend to republican 
principles, contrives to husband his resources so as to be 
master of himself. If his income is small, he is careful 
not to have an excess of wants. He adapts his mode of 
living to his means of living, contents himself with a little, 
and is as truly a freeman as his wealthier neighbour. 
His opinions are his own, his vote is his own, and he 
cannot be interrupted by treats, threats, nor promises. 
He relinquishes nothing of self-respect, nothing of dignity, 
nothing of honour, nothing of integrity, nothing of true 
love of country, because he is not rich, or because he is 
poor. He is thankful that he lives in a land of liberty ; 
thankful, also, that he is not a slave to artificial wants, 
and to desires which he cannot answer; thankful that his 
wants and desires are conformed to his means. Such a 
man is a republican in the best sense of the word; he 
knows by experience what liberty is. 



156 VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 

It is highly important, my young friends, that you early 
acquire and establish habits of economy in matters of 
expense. It is important to your own personal welfare 
— to your success in the world, as well as to the welfare 
of your country. Young people are apt to entertain 
extravagant and absurd notions of life — to estimate their 
enjoyments by the money they cost — to choose enjoy- 
ments which are expensive and connected with display* 
But you may depend upon it, the most valuable enjoy- 
ments are easily obtained ; they cost but little money, 
and are within the reach of all, of the poor as well as of 
the rich. If a person's design is to secure such privi- 
leges and enjoyments only as are connected with virtue, 
with sobriety, with intellectual improvement, with eleva- 
tion of character, he may carry his design into operation 
with very limited funds. It is dissipation, sensual enjoy- 
ments, enjoyments which have no good moral tendency, 
it is such enjoyments as these that cost money, and that 
very often put young persons upon disagreeable and dis- 
honourable expedients to meet their expenses. The 
truth is, men's dispensable wants, wants which their own 
folly has created, or which the absurd customs of society 
have imposed — these wants are all expensive ; and they 
do more than a little to prevent young people from rising 
in the world — to bring on failures, discouragements, 
habits of intemperance, and crimes. 

Finally, my young friends, I would have you prize 
your condition as citizens of the United States, not for 
the prospects of wealth which the country presents, but 
for the superior means it furnishes of forming and per- 
petuating an intelligent, moral, and religious people. I 
would have it deeply impressed on your minds, that the 



VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES. 157 

same wisdom and virtue which achieved the indepen- 
dence of the country must preserve it — that " liberty and 
the pursuit of happiness" cannot be secured to the na- 
tion, and transmitted from age to age, without a steady 
pursuit of those moral and intellectual attainments, with 
which public happiness is essentially connected. I would 
always have you look upon selfish ambition, prodigality, 
and vice of every name, not only as wrong in the sight 
of God, but as injurious to your country ; not only as 
immoral, but as anti-republican. 

What duties have the people taken upon themselves in relation to the 
government ? 

Of what are they, under Providence, the guardians ? 

With what is the happiness of the people as a nation connected ? 

How must a faithful and wise administration of government be secured ? 

How must the duties of voting be performed ? 

What views are men apt to have of their political duties ? 

In what manner is a citizen morally bound to exercise the right of suf- 
frage ? 

For whom must you not vote, and for what reason ? 

On what self-evident truth is our government founded? 

When is this principle of liberty violated ? 

What is the character of a real republican ? 

What is among the most important republican virtues 1 

What would be the obvious tendency of the general practice of economy ? 

How does an economical republican husband his resources 1 

What is said of his opinions, his vote, his integrity, &c. ? 

For what is he thankful 1 

What notions are young people apt to entertain ? 

How are they apt to estimate and choose enjoyments 1 

What is said of the most valuable enjoyments ? 

What enjoyments and wants are most expensive ? 

What do they prevent, and what tend to bring on ? 

For what should you prize your condition as citizens of the United States ? 



QUESTIONS ON THE MAP OE THE UNITED STATES, 



What states and territory border on the Atlantic ? What on the Gulf of 
Mexico ? 

What states and territories border on the great Lakes 1 What is the direc- 
tion of the coast from Florida to Maine ? 

How is Maine bounded ? New-Hampshire ? Vermont ? Massachusetts ? 
Rhode-Island? Connecticut? New- York ? New-Jersey? Pennsylva- 
nia? Delaware? Maryland? Virginia? North-Carolina? South-Caro- 
lina? Georgia? the Territory of Florida? Alabama? Missisippi ? Lou- 
isiana? Tennessee? Kentucky? Ohio? Indiana? Illinois? Missouri? 
Michigan Territory ? Huron Territory ? Arkansas Territory ? 

What territory extends farthest west ? How is it bounded 1 

Which way is Maine from Louisiana? From Michigan ? 

Which way is Georgia from Louisiana ? From Illinois ? From Maine ? 

Which way is Missouri from Georgia ? From Virginia and Maryland ? 
From Louisiana ? 

Which way is Tennessee fiom Ohio and Indiana? From the Gulf of 
Mexico ? 

Which way is Missisippi from Illinois ? From Georgia ? From New- 
York ? From Missouri ? 

Which way is South-Carolina from Ohio ?, From Missisippi ? From Mas- 
sachusetts ? From Indiana ? 

Which way is Rhode-Island from New-Hampshire ? From Pennsylvania? 
From New-York ? From Virginia ? 

Which way is Connecticut from Vermont ? From Maryland ? From 
Ohio? 

Which way is New-York from Virginia and Maryland ? From Michigan ? 

Which way is New-Jersey from Ohio ? From Maine ? 

Which way is Delaware from New- York ? 

Which way is Pennsylvania from Maine ? From Indiana ? From North- 
Carolina ? From Lake Ontario ? 

Between what states is the District of Columbia ? 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 



1585 Unsuccessful attempt to establish a colony at Roan- 
oke, on the coast of North-Carolina. 

1607 First permanent colony lands in Virginia. 

Unsuccessful attempt to establish a colony on the 
coast of Maine, near the mouth of the Kennebeck. 

1610 The Dutch build a fort near the mouth of the Hud- 
son, and found the town of New- Amsterdam, 
afterwards New- York. 

1620 The pilgrims land at Plymouth. 

1623 First settlement on the Piscataqua. 

1628 Colony of Massachusetts Bay. Salem founded. 

1630 Boston founded. 

1632 Charter of Maryland granted. 

1634 First colony arrives in Maryland. 

1635 First settlements in Connecticut. 

1636 Colony of Providence founded. Swedes settle on 

the Delaware. 

1638 Settlement of Rhode-Island. Colony of New-Ha- 
ven planted. 

1644 Providence and Rhode-Island united. 

1655 The Dutch conquer the Swedish settlements on the 
Delaware. 

1663 Charter of Carolina granted. 

1664 The Dutch settlements conquered by the English. 

Colonies of New- York and New-Jersey. 
1677 New-Jersey divided into East and West Jersey. 
Maine purchased by Massachusetts of the heirs 
of Gorges. 



160 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1630 City of Charleston founded. New-Hampshire erect- 
ed into a distinct province. 

1681 Charter of Pennsylvania granted. 

1682 Penn lands on the Delaware, and founds the city of 

■Pennsylvania. 

1701 Delaware erected into a distinct jurisdiction. 

1702 The Jerseys re-united, and become a royal province. 
1717 City of New-Orleans founded by the French. 
17*23 Fort Dummer built, the first settlement in Vermont. 
1732 Colony of Georgia planted. 

1773 First settlements in Kentucky begin. 

1776 The United States declare themselves Independent. 

1783 Peace with Great Britain. 

1788 Settlements begin at Marietta, on the Ohio. 

1789 George Washington first President under the new 

Constitution. 

1791 Vermont admitted to the Union. 

1792 Kentucky admitted to the Union. 
1795 Tennessee admitted to the Union. 
1797 John Adams second President. 

1801 Thomas Jefferson third President. 

1802 Ohio admitted to the Union. 

1803 Louisiana purchased by the United States. 
1809 James Madison fourth President. 

1812 Louisiana admitted to the Union. 

1816 Indiana admitted to the Union. 

1817 Missisippi admitted to the Union. 
James Monroe fifth President. 

1818 Illinois admitted to the Union. 

1819 Alabama admitted to the Union. 

1820 Maine admitted to the Union. 

1821 Florida ceded to the United States. 
Missouri admitted to the Union. 

1825 John Q,. Adams sixth President. 
1829 Andrew Jackson seventh President. 






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